This body of work is a bridge between historical pots created along the ancient trading routes of the silk road that spanned the Asian continent and my practice as a studio potter in the 21st century living and working in the Mountain West of the United States. 

The pieces hold an exploration of time and space, an inquiry into living between cultures, a search for something just out of reach.

The title for this show was inspired by a specific object: a humble bowl, probably made in Nishapur and small enough to fit in the palm of my two hands.  This was among the objects that my mother brought with her when my family left Iran. On the surface of this bowl, painted in slip, is a bird, perhaps a Tavoos (peacock), surrounded by floral elements and Kufic script.

In the 10th century, Nishapur was a site of pottery production in Iran, creating polychrome slip ware. Nishapur designs - ranging from figural, animal, floral and geometric - have been described by art historians as having bold coloring and strange abstractions of indigenous invention pre-dating the influence of Chinese imports.  These decorations hold similarities to Sassanian and Central Asian paintings.  

Over time, I have developed a relationship with this peacock as a dynamic motif that spans cultures, time, and space. I imagine the peacock, walking the dusty ancient silk road alongside other weary and expectant travelers.

 In the exhibition, the symbol of the peacock – on both the jars and the large serving bowl - along with motifs from Mamluk Ceramics, bring the abstract geometric patterns into focus, allowing a reframing and reinterpretation of how stories are told and how they are woven into our daily lives.