I can't remember a time when I was not making things with my hands. I learned to knit (a bright red wool scarf!) at the age of four, I designed and then hand sewed tiny doll outfits, I made pottery, I drew, I painted, I made jewelry out of wooden and then seed beads.
I've also always been drawn to pretty, tiny, shiny things: pretty pebbles, tiny shells, beach glass, and jewelry. My passion for jewelry design also started at a young age, when I'd see a piece of jewelry I liked, except for that particular part that I would have 'improved' by doing it differently. And pretty soon I was doing it, as by the age of fifteen I was studying copper enameling and goldsmithing from other artists and have continued to learn from many artisans throughout North America and Europe since. I hold an Honors Degree from York University, majoring in Art and Art History. My first ever paycheck went to buying a kiln, and I've always lived my life as an artisan, always creating, although there have been lulls and my parallel life as a wife and mother and working my way up in the insurance world from claims to management often took precedence out of necessity. Nowadays I try to live my life less as the split personality of yesteryear and more as a whole, individual creating unique, handmade, high caliber original pieces of wearable art.
Artist Philosophy:
Wearing jewelry is a form of self-expression that has been around since the dawn of civilization, a way of showing and sharing a piece of ourselves. My goal is to create pieces with style and quality that are timeless and will last for years to come. I design simple but striking pieces that draw inspiration from nature and organic shapes, with a bit of whimsy thrown in for good measure. I work in high quality materials such as silver, gold, copper, semi-precious stones, pearls, Swarovski crystals, flameworked glass.
I actually purposefully avoided working with silver clay for some time as I knew I would become enthralled but resistance was futile, I succumbed. I especially love this medium as it allows me to make smaller, more detailed pieces more easily than with traditional jewelry fabrication techniques and that it requires less (expensive!) tools and is even more hands-on than traditional goldsmithing. Precision and crafts(wo)manship are important to me when creating, so I'm always looking to further develop my practice both technically and conceptually. I relish the design challenges I face when a customer requests that I incorporate a desired feature into their custom piece as it often leads to my creative progress, where I might learn a new technique or improve upon my design, allowing me to better create unique, handmade, high caliber original pieces of wearable art. I enjoy passing my knowledge of jewelry making on to others by holding introductory and specialty workshops from time to time as it's rewarding to see others become as ensnared in this medium as I am.
Artist Statement and History:
I can't remember a time when I was not making things with my hands. I learned to knit (a bright red wool scarf!) at the age of four, I designed and then hand sewed tiny doll outfits, I made pottery, I drew, I painted, I made jewelry out of wooden and then seed beads.
I've also always been drawn to pretty, tiny, shiny things: pretty pebbles, tiny shells, beach glass, and jewelry. My passion for jewelry design also started at a young age, when I'd see a piece of jewelry I liked, except for that particular part that I would have 'improved' by doing it differently. And pretty soon I was doing it, as by the age of fifteen I was studying copper enameling and goldsmithing from other artists and have continued to learn from many artisans throughout North America and Europe since. I hold an Honors Degree from York University, majoring in Art and Art History. My first ever paycheck went to buying a kiln, and I've always lived my life as an artisan, always creating, although there have been lulls and my parallel life as a wife and mother and working my way up in the insurance world from claims to management often took precedence out of necessity. Nowadays I try to live my life less as the split personality of yesteryear and more as a whole, creative individual.
Wearing jewelry is a form of self-expression that has been around since the dawn of civilization, a way of showing and sharing a piece of ourselves. My goal is to create pieces with style and quality that are timeless and will last for years to come. I design simple but striking pieces that draw inspiration from nature and organic shapes, with a bit of whimsy thrown in for good measure. I work in high quality materials such as silver, gold, copper, semi-precious stones, pearls, Swarovski crystals, flameworked glass.
I actually purposefully avoided working with silver clay for some time as I knew I would become enthralled but resistance was futile, I succumbed. I especially love this medium as it allows me to make smaller, more detailed pieces more easily than with traditional jewelry fabrication techniques and that it requires less (expensive!) tools and is even more hands-on than traditional goldsmithing. Precision and crafts(wo)manship are important to me when creating, so I'm always looking to further develop my practice both technically and conceptually. I relish the design challenges I face when a customer requests that I incorporate a desired feature into their custom piece as it often leads to my creative progress, where I might learn a new technique or improve upon my design, allowing me to better create unique, handmade, high caliber original pieces of wearable art.
