I am a Fort Worth, Texas, bead-weaving artist, specializing in “Art Masquerading as Jewelry.” My mother always said that if she were feeling sad, she would go out shopping and buy a new hat. Her new hat on her head, a feeling of uniqueness elevated her mood, and her out-of-the-ordinary adornment affirmed her special place in the universe.
I learned from her that we each have a special place in this giant multi-dimensional jigsaw puzzle of connectedness, and each person is unique, like no other piece of the puzzle, and what we choose to decorate our bodies with is our personal expression (to the rest of the world) of who we are.
My favorite starting points for my creations are spheres, vintage pieces, and occasionally an interesting piece created by another artist.

My Spheres
Several years ago, I encountered a “challenge,” from one of my customers. She owned a small tiger-eye sphere and wanted me to create a necklace out of it. Because it had no hole through which to hang it from a necklace, and I had never seen a sphere used in this way, I had to find a way to do this for her. In the process, I discovered a completely unique mode of artistic expression for myself.

My vintage DRT pieces
I love antique costume jewelry! They are usually better made than contemporary pieces, and I am especially mindful of the original construction before I start working with them. When I finish creating my vision, I call it a “DRT” piece; the acronym means De-constructed, Re-imagined, and Transformed.

Incorporating Other Artists' Works
Occasionally, I will find something that I simply must have and include in my own work. For example, I bought a hand-carved Axis-horn Female figure from The Antler'd Stag artist at Scarborough Faire one year, because I “saw,” in her, one petal of a Water Lily. My vision took six months to come to fruition, and I feel a personal connection to the finished product, Lily.