Reliquary II (Flores Jamon)   Ceramic, slip cast, underglaze inlay and transfer-ware print on unglazed stoneware 2016 16 x 8 x 6.5 inches The form of a ham leg which appears in my prints and many of my drawings fascinated me after traveling in Spain where I encountered the Jamon Iberico. At the time I was reading an essay by Christopher Hitchens titled “Why Heaven Hates Ham,” detailing the prohibitions and customs about charcuterie. In the essay he suggests that pieces of pig offered to guests in Spain emerges out of a tradition from the Spanish Inquisition, and was a means of rooting out non-Christians, or disingenuous converts. Peculiar histories fascinate me and often find their way into my visual language.