While my first love is always metalsmithing, letting my creativity go in other areas is a near spiritual practice for me, and I find that no matter how seemingly unrelated paper and panels of wood are to gold or silver, the inspirations overlap in a whirlwind of ideas. As with my aesthetic of using hard materials to convey delicacy and intricacy, I am compelled to capture with a paper, ink, paint, or pencil, detailed vignettes of other materials that convey the same sense of openness and softness that filigree and repoussé do in metal. I call my blend of calligraphy, printed papers, painting and collage, Illustrocollography (ee-lust-ruh-co-lahg-raphy).
