After 30 years in Nursing (28 in the Emergency Department), I have the fortune and a supportive family, to be able to retire and pursue my art! I now teach, sharing trial, error and achievement of creating in precious metal clay.
In 1989 I opened a retail needlework store and was delighted to be surrounded by all the threads and fabrics and accouterments for creating my chosen craft. By 1993 I had designed and published my first original piece, out of frustration of not being able to find "just the right" piece. I have closed the retail store front, but have over 100 original designs to my credit, and still peddle them in the wholesale world of needlework.
But! while sitting on my sunporch idly toying with a new beaded bracelet I decided that it was "just not right", so out the door I went and returned with beads, silver and cording. A new outlet to release my flair for color and texture was begun. So to answer my mother's question of what had just happened upon my porch - diversity!!
I will still design needlework but I am surrounded now by not only threads and fabrics, but beads, charms, silver, wire, cording.... -well- you get the idea!!
About 2006 I still had the desire to work with silver - I wanted to make rings! I took an introduction class in Precious Metal Clay, and was hooked! never before interested in sculpting - i can't get enough - tiny layers of leaves, flowers, swirls, carving, smoothing and a little face appears! truly only the imagination is a limit to what can be done with this amazing medium - and the moment of combustion still mesmerizes me each time I fire!