Artist Statement

The texture and contour of a beach-gathered shell, once fragile, is now transformed into solid silver gracing a pendant.  The unfurling spiral of a fiddle head fern is echoed in the spiral of a multi-strand braid, enhanced with beads. Shocking pink and orange blend into blue and gray as the sun sets over the ocean, inspiring luminous color combinations. The natural beauty of Mendocino, California, my home since 1979, is an infinite source of inspiration.

 Beginning in 1981, I began weaving tapestries for the wall. I took my surroundings as the inspiration for many of the works. I also was inspired by the Navajo technique of wedge weave, which creates the unique scalloping at the edges of the piece. Often I combined natural images with geometric design.

In 1997, the alluring call of adornment led me down the path of a jeweler. My interest in color, contrast, and tactile surfaces continues with each technique I explore. I continue to try new processes and materials, and my jewelry may be formed from metals, enamels, beads, polymer clay or fiber. I enjoy the challenge of combining different elements and processes within a piece. The quality of each different material leads me on to see what its potential might be.

In 2019, weaving again began to absorb my attention, and the occasional small tapestry was born. My studio remains full of the materials to create in all kinds of media, waiting to be used as inspiration arises.