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| Growing up, it never occurred to me that art or anything that involved working with your hands was a possible way of life. I did know from a very early age, that I did not like to get up early, hated schedules or anything I was supposed to do for that matter, and could not imagine getting "dressed" for work. Luckily, I dropped out of college. My jewelry education began in 1997 with a fortuitous meeting at Rockit's Pizza in Bloomington, Indiana with Peruvian goldsmith, Arturo Rodriguez. I spent a couple years apprenticing with him, a few more teaching myself by absorbing books and experimenting in my home studio (one year my rolling mill lived in my bedroom), several months at an independent jewelry academy, and two semesters dropping in on forging, casting, and pewtersmithing classes taught by Fred Fenster at the University of Wisconsin. I make miniature worlds, take snapshots of natural elements, and create portraits of plants in silver, gold, and enamel on copper. Some pieces are inspired by science and the recording of plant biology, such as illustrated plant anatomy or models in cross section. My succulent portraits hope to capture the fullness, sweetness and yearning that seem inherent in these fleshy desert plants. As a kid, I received 24k gold jewelry as gifts, as is traditional in Chinese culture. Then it seemed gaudy and out of place in southern Indiana - now I love it for it's warm glow. I use matte surface textures on silver to contrast with the dark, oh so meticulously patinated silver, adding touches of gold and color with enamel to create a graphic quality in my pieces. I prefer working directly with the metal, fabricating my pieces out of sheet and wire. Sheets of metal are roll-printed with paper or leaves to create subtle textures. I make dies out of brass and plexiglass, which are used in a hydraulic press to form the metal and create dimension. Forging and piercing with a jeweler's saw define lines. Filing, sanding, and soldering bring it all together before patinating and finishing. I now live in Hannibal, Missouri, home of many transplanted artists from big coastal cities who have come to Mark Twain's boyhood home to renovate beautiful old buildings into beautiful and funky studios, galleries, and living spaces that are art projects in themselves. When I'm not in the studio, you can find me obsessively tending to my ever-growing garden, or baking something sweet or savory. |
