Each day I walk through life astonished and grateful for the beauty that surrounds me.  I see it in my garden, my community of friends and in the extraordinary environment and people of the Northwest where I live.  I search for it in line, color, texture, like foraging a feast for the eyes.  My process begins with this.  The making is my way of expressing that joyful response in the form of jewelry or body adornments.   

I also love to read and imagine.  There is a story in my mind that I take with me into the studio as I pull out colorful stones or forge a piece of metal into a rough and organic shape.  It is of a woman who lives in a cottage at the edge of the forest overlooking the sea.  A winding path takes her below to a grotto that brings up it's treasures as the tide washes out.  Occasionally a visitor comes with a special request for a talisman or memento to comfort their journey.  Often the jewelry I create comes from these timeless stories influenced by literature, poetry and mythology.

Like many artists, my need to create, to be immersed in the creative process is like my need for water.  My pieces usually start out with a response to what is on my reading table at the time, or gazing at my bowls of beautiful stones and shells, or daydreaming about a story, or a particular person who has requested a personal piece.  This part of the process may take days before I actually begin to draw out a design or bring together elements that represent what is emerging.  

I use a variety of metal fabrication and enameling techniques to achieve the look or story I want to tell in these one of a kind pieces. Sometimes I incorporate organic bits from my garden captured in resins.  Though I work to achieve an organic, timeworn and timeless feel to my pieces, this is done with a great deal of care and attention to detail so that my work is of high quality, lasting, and comfortable to wear. 

A Note About Handmade Artisan Jewelry

Owning a piece of handmade artisan jewelry is truly owning a bit of treasure.  You will often hear women who wear a handmade treasure speak of how much they "love" their piece, how it makes them feel lit up like a goddess.  Science tells us that thoughts are energy and many hours of thoughtful, careful, loving energy goes into each unique piece of jewelry made by an artist that is wholly immersed in the love of their crafting.

When you own a work that is handmade, that is alive with the energy of making, it becomes a work of art that expresses your own unique taste and personality.