Some of the Story…

Doni is inspired by our journeys as human beings - by the poetry, song, prose and imagery that attempt to do them justice. She hopes to do as much with clay.

“My methods are hand building techniques – pinching large wads of clay or the use of soft slabs. Organic shapes are favored and while an idea is in mind, it is spontaneity that produces the outcome.

Work to date is focused on vessels – large and small containers for giving and receiving. These are made in various organic shapes and surfaces are meant to evoke a sense of time - Of natural forces corroding or eroding. This is accomplished by layering slips, oxides, and glazes that react and crack in their firing. The addition of found objects, found metal, take some pieces further toward the creation of a narrative. Most recently, the bowl shapes have shifted to long low vessels. Almost boat like – on the cusp of a new journey!

In working with clay I am aware that I am using the most basic of materials though I feel connected to a larger whole of the universe as it…we, too, are of those same elements.”

Doni owned and operated The Finish Line – a decorative painting and faux finish company near Houston, Texas for twenty plus years. Her educational background includes Parson’s School of Design in New York, ceramic studies with Roy Hanscom at North Harris College, and over 200 hours of instruction with various masters in decorative painting, including Pierre Finkelstein, Nicola Vigini, and Houston’s Janie Ellis. Doni serves on the committee for the Northwood’s Art Gallery in Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church in the Woodlands, TX; she oversees the ongoing exhibitions and displays art of her own and others. Doni is also a member of the Conroe Art League.

She lives in Montgomery, Texas.