Usually, I hand-build my larger vessel forms. Exploring the vessel through hand-built methods has naturally led to a more sculptural and conceptual approach. Moving from the utilitarian use of the wheel has developed a freedom within my forming process. I still concentrate on creating objects that identify with function or storage—the “idea” of vessel, but hand-forming allows me to think about more about a form’s surface and how it relates to its structure. Sometimes I stretch the clay’s surface from the inside and create textural cracks and fissures. Hand-building permits me to work reductively, faceting surface planes. Through the use of molds, I can also create rectangular forms that are not possible to make on the wheel.