When teaching at William Holland Lapidary School or the Indianapolis Art Center, I tell students “We’re all our own worst critics, but you’d be surprised at what other people find inspirational and beautiful.” For me, taking an idea in my head, seeing it come to life and truly become a thing of beauty is exceptionally fulfilling. Taking a rock, something produced by nature with no value except for its properties, then cutting, grinding and polishing it to make a gorgeous piece of art in its own right is rewarding to my soul. I hand-fabricate all the gold or sterling silver jewelry with traditional techniques, and slab, cut to fit, grind and polish stones for my work.
My philosophies as a craftsperson are to create exceptional jewelry you don’t see every day, to always challenge myself to raise the bar, and make something truly stunning. I love the inherent properties of the different stones for use in functional, timeless jewelry. I have always been attracted to clean lines of designs, letting the stones speak for themselves in the silver/gold work I create around them. Simple can sometimes be better.
I usually work in Sterling silver, once awhile in gold, to produce the envelope for setting rough (unfinished stone) into channels, then thru grinding, shaping and polishing, create a unique piece of wearable art. The stones inherent properties, whether it be flash, color, texture, or drama, I try to work with as an artist to truly reveal the essence of the stone. Mother nature makes some beautiful art.
I try to find unique, unknown stones to create works of art. Different stones have different properties, so working with them can be challenging within the context of maintaining the framework of the silver/gold smithing done by myself, sometimes a design has to adapt. I also like using local minerals, geodes, and fossils in my work, again it is about the story the mineral, fossil or gem is telling.
I have been selling my work at local and midwest art fairs for the 8 years, with a local following, and some print press. Currently, I belong to Art in Hand Gallery in Zionsville, faculty at Indianapolis Arts Center and William Holland Lapidary School. My work has been successful at Art in Hand and fair venue, I developed an emphasis on branding of myself, look of my work, card-take away info of the work. I am focused craftsmanship but, value and quality of work for the price.
My focus on quality craftsmanship combined with a streamline look with distinctive stones is inlay is very unique, and inspired. I want to create wearable art that I am proud of, and proud to be doing in Indiana.