As long as I can remember I've been fascinated by anything metallic, by anything that sparkles as light shines through it and by the fanciful patterns an colors in stones culled from the earth. As a child I had extensive collections of stones gathered from roadsides, glass picked out of the sand at the beach and of anything shiny that caught my eye. I also remember the excitement of weekly visits to Woolworths; each week I used part of my allowance to pick a sparkly scatter pin from their dazzling display of rhinestone costume jewelry. It is odd that I strayed from my earliest childhood passions............
My formal education consists of an academic degree in fine arts. I concentrated in all manner of printmaking, especially serigraphy. Though I loved printaking, I had a feeling that i'd still not found the medium in which I was meant to work ( I apparently had totally forgotten about my childhood collections!) It was several years later when I reunited with my love of all things metal, stone and finally, glass. Through post graduate classes and specialized workshops, and through self teaching from many wonderful books, I immersed myself. The more I learned about working with metals, the more I realized that metal is one of the most versatile materials with which to work. I discovered that metal was something I could manipulate ad infinitum and that I could finally get to work with those beautiful gems and minerals that I've always loved.
After some time, I began searching for something different with which to embellish my jewelry pieces. While there are wonderful gemstones around, I was craving something different. This is when I rediscovered enamel. Sure, I did some enameling when I was 12, producing some simple colored copper trinkets until I became distracted by something new. What an exciting day it was when I discovered enamel classes at a local arts guild! Here, I learned to use an extensive palette of ground glass powders to produce amazing effects (ok-some items also reside in the "junk box"). When glass is combined with metal, the results become much much more than the sum of their parts. Something magical happens in the kiln to which I'm totally addicted! The more I learn about enamel, the more I realize that, like metal, glass is also an infinitely versatile material. It's possibilities are endless.
So, now I divide my time between metal and glass and stones. Just as when I was a child, I still have an extensive collection of amazing stones; I still cannot resist anything metallic and I still cannot fathom how beautiful light shining through a bit of glass can be.
It's a priviledge to work with these fabulous materials. Thank you to all my mentors, to all who have shared through their books and to all the artists whose work inspires me to get into my studio and do what I love most to do.
What could be better?
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