I don't call myself an 'industrial designer,' because I'm other things. Industrial designers want to make novel things. Novelty is a concept of commerce, not an aesthetic concept.

When I design something, I think of it as a gift to somebody else.

I don't like to design single objects. I like my pieces to have a relationship to each other. They can be mother and child, like the Schmoo salt and pepper shakers, or brother and sister like the Birdie salt and peppers, or cousins, like most of my dinnerware sets.

If I hadn't been a designer, I'd have been a painter. I began as a painter and learned the craft of pottery in order to support myself.

My designs are meant to attract the hand as well as the eye.

I never wanted to do something grotesque. I never wanted to shock. I wanted my audience to be happy, to be kind.

When you have clay in your hands, it's hard to avoid making birds.