Background
Teresa’s academic background in architecture (U.Va. ’87, Columbia U. ’92), gives her a unique perspective on form, structure and materials. After earning her Master’s degree, Teresa got her start in Brooklyn where she created a body of work, sold her wares at local craft fairs, and began teaching at the Craft Students League in Manhattan. In 1997, her dinnerware debuted to the trade market at the New York International Gift Fair, where Barney’s Japan, Takashimaya, and Dean and Deluca became clients. In 2001 she moved to Philadelphia and expanded upon her initial collection of dinnerware lines. She also began exploring limited edition series, including teapots, teaware, and small functional accessories. (Photo - Teresa in her first studio in Brooklyn circa 1996. Credit: Dean Kaufman.)
Craftsmanship
All of Teresa’s work is thrown and trimmed on the potter’s wheel. She has high standards of craftsmanship and a penchant for detail. Her well-honed wheel skills are the benefit of over 25 years of dinnerware production. In Teresa's studio practice, the rhythmic and meditative work of throwing dinnerware is wonderfully counterbalanced by a distinctly different mode employed when making one-of-a-kind and limited edition objects.
Aesthetic
Teresa’s body of work is distinguished by an unusual synthesis of design and craftsmanship. She finds inherent beauty in forms pared down to their structural essence. In her work there is no applied decoration, no excess in shape, mass, or profile. As a result, her forms are functional, graceful, and timeless. Her soft yet vibrant color palette provides a quiet and elegant backdrop for a wide variety of foods. Teresa acknowledges many influences for her design sensibilities, including early Korean and Japanese pottery, her architectural studies, and an appreciation for simplicity instilled by her mother.
