I am happily a maker. I live to work with my hands. When I was younger I was sewing, embroidering, and crafting. When I discovered beads a lifelong love affair was started. I love working with beads because of the color, texture, and structure that can be attained and played with. But . . . in the beginning, when learning and exploring beadwork, it always seemed that I needed to buy a metal connection or focal piece for my beadwork. The metal objects that were available seemed extremely limiting and mundane. Actually rather alien to the beadwork I was doing.  Feeling that the closures, focal, or connections should be a visual part of my designs as well as functional I started taking metalsmithing classes. Wow, what fun was that? Metalsmithing classes open up a whole world to explore that I probably will never see the end of.

Now my Art Jewelry is a combination of metalwork and beadwork. The metalwork may quietly repeat an element of the beadwork or be the center of attention with the beadwork playing a supporting role, but always a harmony is struck between the two. My life seems to revolve around the current jewelry piece I’m working on, an active online presence with two Etsy Shops and selling on Artful Home, travel and keeping up with my friends that are scattered all over this country. It’s a great and creative life.