The sculptural plants I make are informed by the flora that endures and survives in the harsh climate of the Chihuahuan Desert. I engineer my pieces, blending welded steel with multipart, mid-fire stoneware, embracing a metaphor of this desert botany that is about resilience, persistence, toughness, durability, tenacity and adaptability. Learners may be inspired to build multi-part ceramic pieces, develop texture, and use the natural world to leap toward abstract work.