So many visions, not enough hours in the day!
I fell in love with the beads I found at Lee Wards as an 11 year old kid, from tiny carved bone elephants, to luminous swirling mother of pearl beads; and I was fascinated by the possibilities I found playing with wire, starting with a little kit for making “Indian rings”. The first 3D thing I made was a green peace sign with silver-lined rocaille seed beads. I loved the “French” flowers made with wire and expanded on the “Indian ring” technique to make my own flowers and Christmas ornaments, before moving on to other art forms in high school.
I rediscovered beads right before I got sober at 24, and learned peyote stitch from the Deadheads I was hanging out with. They took me to my first bead show in the DC area, and I realized I had a unique gift, and I knew that making stuff out of beads was all I wanted to do. Soon after I taught myself brick stitch, and started making masks as well.
After a dozen years weaving with seed beads, a friend gave me a box of broken jewelry, including some big hammered silver balls, and I started making Christmas ornaments, too. Soon after, I began playing with sterling silver and gold-filled wire, creating two distinctive lines of wire jewelry with endless possibilities. My bramble series is descended from my scratchy pen and ink sketches and my love of nature. My spirals are all about geometry, which can be both fluidly primal and sharply modern. Stick pearls have become a favorite, and finding unique gemstones is always inspiring.
I hope you’ll find something you love, or something that inspires you here in my Etsy shop!
