Biography

I've come to see jewelry making as a way to explore my somewhat disparate interests in a very direct and inclusive way. My enthusiasm for gardening, botany, literature, children's toys, eastern philosophy, and travel all somehow make their way into my jewelry. Often these subjects inspire tangents in my work that I find totally compelling, and I find the small scale of jewelry perfect for exploring a concept to the point of exhaustion. Collecting, organizing, studying, venerating, and obsessing all come together for me in these small sculptures. There is no material that is too mundane. Everything from dead leaves to doll arms to diamonds are treated equally, and sometimes the resulting pieces tell me more about what I value than I knew when I started.

I know that my more than 30-year relationship with Buddhism has influenced not only the way I work, but the forms and materials to which I am continually drawn. So much of Tibetan iconography is based on natural forms, and perhaps it just makes sense that these are the archetypes I find most familiar. My work has explored many Buddhist concepts over the years, from the ideas of impermanence and transience to the concept of the preciousness and sacredness of the everyday. Still, I want to create pieces that are accessible to a wide audience, and I hope the forms and materials I use will appeal to people on many different levels.

Years ago, I stumbled into a metalsmithing course at a small college in California, and was hooked. I went on to formalize my studies at Parsons School of Design in New York City while simultaneously earning a writing degree from the New School. After earning my BA, I finished my BFA in metalsmithing at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, the city in which I spent much of my childhood. I currently live and work in Seattle and have been an active member of the lively arts community there for many years.