Biography:

As long as I can remember, I have had an interest in creating art. While other children had lemonade stands, I set up a stand where I sold hand-decorated rocks. My only customer for that endeavor was my grandmother, which may have dampened my enthusiasm for the commercial aspect of art, but not the creative aspect.

I began making jewelry as a teenager. I loved to experiment with unusual materials (one of my favorite pair of earrings was made from shellacked red and white hard candies).

I attended art school directly after high school, but the commercial art and fashion design curriculum I chose left me unfulfilled. I then went on to college, majoring in journalism, then English literature.

Throughout the intervening years, I took classes and continued to experiment in various art techniques, but for the most part my creative endeavors were limited to writing. Then in 1995 I visited the gem show in Tucson with a friend, and was re-inspired. I began taking classes and workshops in a wide range of media and techniques and loved them all. But I finally came to focus mainly on beads and fiber, mostly because I love working with color. I will often spontaneously see a certain color combination in my mind, and this will be the starting point for a piece. I feel that color communicates on a level that is deeper than we often realize.

Education:

B.A., University of California at Los Angeles

Artist's Statement:

I call my work "Wearable Art for Body and Spirit" because my goal is to make objects that are more than simply physical adornment. I believe that true art originates in realms other than the physical. Each time I sit down to work, I try to make a connection with these realms of Spirit.

Most of my beaded necklaces are worked in a freeform, sculptural weaving technique. I love working this way, because often I need only begin the work, and at some point the piece takes on a life of its own and begins creating itself. My fiber pieces, although more structured, are also often full of surprises as I give myself over to the process of allowing them to come into existence.

I hope people find beauty in my work, but even more, I wish the viewer and the wearer to feel a deeper connection with the piece, to feel its spirit. I wish my work to speak to something within, to delight not only the eye, but also the heart and soul.