Stylized sculpture is what Pat prefers to call his art and through it he has two goals. The first is to showcase the beauty and natural figure of fine hardwoods without being tied to the restrictions of realism.  The second goal is to draw viewers into what he has created and allow them the opportunity to interpret and think about what they’re seeing rather than having all the details provided. In the words of Vincent Van Gogh: “Leave the obvious vague and exaggerate the essential…”  To Pat, “the essential” is the wood itself.

​Charles sources half of his clay from Whidbey Island for its iron content which colors the clay body a rich auburn, the iron flecks of which stain the glazes creating occasional black teardrops. He uses a palette of eight to ten glazes, which he then double-dips to create intentional secondary glaze flows. The shapes, the secondary glaze-flows, and occasional broad brush strokes of iron or cobalt are the extent of his decoration, leaving the contours of his pots to show his more than 40 years of throwing expertise. Like 10,000 years of potters before him, he relies on “the lines in the air” produced by his pots to express their ultimate beauty.