I am fascinated by insects and other species. When I was in college, I loved botany and collected hundreds of specimens for my college’s herbarium (a museum of dried, pressed plants). Occasionally in the field, I would witness these dramatic scenes; one of my favorite was watching a bug attacking another and eating its head while it was still alive. Or, I would notice the tiny insects back in the lab while identifying the plants and seeing them under the microscope looking absolutely monstrous under magnification.

I am trained as a metalsmith, and many of the techniques I use are the same techniques that have been using for centuries. I like the continuity and traditions of craft, but I also use contemporary processes.