Finding Colors
I love things that are reused, repurposed, redefined, renewed. If gives me hope that nothing is beyond being useful – including people. My dream would be to dig through the junk drawers of every home in the world, like “American Pickers” buy on a much smaller drawer-sized scale. I love things that I can tell have been used and treasured.
I am a synesthesiac – meaning that I have crossover senses. I have vision/taste synesthesia – I taste colors. That doesn’t mean that I go around licking things, its more like an actually physical sensation in my mouth. I use this in my art to sort colors and match the colors and tastes together.
I make colorful found object jewelry – mainly necklaces and broaches. Each piece has surprises, whether it is something cool on the back of a broach, or an unusual item in a bundle of a necklace. I mainly use old plastic and celluloid but anything is fair game. I haunt flea markets and estate sales – I’m the one digging through the bottom of the box for the little things. Plus, I have discovered that the people you meet there are three-fourths of the treasure.
I have a cabinet full of narrow drawers that are crammed full of treasures. Each piece either starts with a color palette or a single item that speaks to me and tastes good. Then I just start sorting through my stashes for things that go with it. Each piece takes anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of years to find the things that fit together perfectly.
I started making jewelry to keep myself centered as the single mother of three boys.
My jewelry tends to start conversations with people. They always want a closer look. I’ve gotten to the point where I just take it off and hand it to them so they can look at it closer and feel it. A bundle of old Cracker Jack charms, buttons, and hardware is a very tactile experience.
If I was reading this aloud, you would already know that I was born and raised in Texas. I studies graphic design in college and I still work in advertising.
