Hi, I am Hosanna!
I am a descendent of early American settlers from the Albion Isles (UK and Ireland), living on Kalapuya territory in the foothills of the Coast Range in Western Oregon.
I am an educator, artist, pigment forager, amuture geologist, wild clay potter, and homesteader. I blend bio-regional history and land stewardship into my earth pigment arts practice and place based pottery. These crafts have sparked a passion for clay chemistry and deepened my sense of belonging and responsibility to the land.
I have always been drawn to all things local, ecologically wise, and pre-industrial for meeting my everyday needs. I believe that the land, the animals, and waters have never forgotten what so many of us humans have forgotten. I want to remember, so I am listening to them and practicing the ways of living that help me shed the expectations and objectifications that I learned within a consumer culture.
It is a subversive act in an over industrialized society to cultivate and make the things we need with our hands. It is one way I remain grounded and am fighting for a regenerative future that honors life.
I am not conventionally educated; classroom learning never worked for me. I like learning directly on the land, from the teachers who are living what they teach, and developing my understanding slowly through practice. My attitude towards learning, along with exceptional mentors, has given my a unique way of teaching and designing immersive learning experiences.
While, I have identified as an artist most of my life, to go deeper on this path of paint making and pottery, it was essential for me to begin learning the language of the rocks and soils.
I have spent the last 12 years studying the geology of my home in the Southern Willamette Valley through observation, experimentation, and research. Like getting to know a new friend, I am building a relationship with the land through my creative process.
These conversations are so rich. I am learning how to feel and hear the land through sculpting with their clays, blending, testing and transforming them at different temps. I make offerings and amends, grieving and singing, asking questions and receiving feedback. I watch how iron moves through the strata, reading the biography of the earth and how a place heals from disturbance. Sometimes I can sense how time might feel from the minerals point of view.
Relationship with our materials restores the continuity that our creative practices crave. When we cultivate, tend, and process our materials from the source, we understand that our crafts are inherently dependent upon the gifts of the living earth.
Below you’ll find more of my musings and past projects. Enjoy!
