The Dragon Wells Steam Works line was the focus of my work from 2009 to 2013; it included teapots, cream and sugar sets, lamps, storage jars, and oil cans, among others. The pots are primarily porcelain and combine wheel-thrown bodies with hand-built pieces. Most pots were fired at cone six electric, though toward the end of that period some were being wood-fired. After firing, some of these pots were adorned with metal and/or glass, and, polished with acetate. Many of these pots, particularly the vases, were decorated with hand-painted illustrations.
The Dragon Wells Steam Works series represents the handiwork of the main character of a fictional story. The Steam Works refer to a factory in New York City where the protagonist, F. Emeril Carter, a machinist, is trapped in a subterranean room that has partially collapsed. F. Emeril creates functional objects from the factory’s detritus for his personal use as well as to keep his mind and hands occupied, and, his sanity intact.