Pond Inspired Ceramics

I choose ponds as a motif for my work because I like them. But I think this affinity began when I traveled solo to Vietnam as an adult. I spent time in my parent's hometown, where I began to feel homesick and exhausted from the lack of amenities I was accustomed to in the US. Things like hot running water and air conditioning.

I also felt quite lonely. I was surrounded by family who looked like me, but struggled with communication with since my Vietnamese wasn’t very good. I was experiencing a strange disconnect—being surrounded by people and places that should be deeply connected to me, but felt like an outsider.

Consistently, I saw these little pockets of water and life. There were shallow waters stretching across vast rice fields, ponds filled with lotuses around small temples, and moving streams covered with floating plants. The people around me saw these landscapes as integral to their livelihoods and honored them just as I was going to.

These landscapes became something I couldn't stop noticing. I realized I was in love with a landscape I never knew I had missed. Having been born and raised in Texas, I had never lived among these sights, yet somehow they felt familiar. They grounded me and calmed me amidst the culture shock and the language barriers I faced. They gave me a permission to slow down, relax, and open my mind to the experience around me.

Eventually, I began having more fun. There is something deeply comforting about this kind of landscape. A new type of home began to take place in my heart. I felt like I was paying homage by experiencing flavors with new perspectives, having deeper eye contact with relatives, and intentionally exploring my ancestor's land.

That is ultimately why I choose ponds as an inspiration for my ceramics. On the surface, they are cute, and playful, but on a deeper level, they represent something more personal to me: an homage.