I made my first jewelry piece in high school. I went on to receive a Bachelors in Design from Kansas University and a Masters in Fine Art from Cranbrook Academy of Art. I have always been drawn to metal as a material. It has endless possibilities of what it can do. In Africa the metal smith has a special place in the tribe because they believe the shaping of metal through the use of fire is magical. It is that magical quality that attracts me to metalsmithing.

I am fascinated by found objects, from sea shells to pods, I am always collecting. I use these objects as a point of departure. I was not able to achieve what I wanted through only use of metal, so I began to experiment with other materials such as silk, felt, leather, and synthetic chiffon. The incorporation of the fabric has given a softness to the metal and I am now able to work with color. I connect the fabric to the metal with stitches that are shown. The functional connections also become a decorative element in each piece. I enjoy working in the very different disciplines, metals and fibers, and bringing them together. I am able to use techniques from each discipline and apply those techniques to the other material. By doing this I rediscover each discipline and the capabilities of each material.