Artist Statement
The external artifacts with which we adorn ourselves emphasize the presence and radiance within us. There is a Timeless quality, just in the very act of making jewelry, the act of holding it, appreciating it, and wearing it. This exchange between the adorner, the adoring, and the adornment, is a rich, tremendous ritual that spans the multicultural tapestry of humanity to frame what is beautiful within us, to adorn ourselves with relative, finite works of art that represent and remind us of the Beauty that surrounds us.

Much of the iconography in my work symbolizes the play of masculine and feminine forces in the universe. I’m fascinated by religious architecture, both eastern and western. The spire and the minaret are obviously phallic, yet when created in the negative as in a Gothic arch or a Moroccan keyhole, they are feminine and a metaphor for the transformational. I see these shapes as essentially tantric, simultaneously embodying space and form and use them frequently in my work.

My passion for metalsmithing began with my fascination with New Kingdom Egyptian metalwork. As a child, staring at photographs of such works, I imagined the artists of those pieces putting their very souls into their creations as they worked and felt connected to them through the tangible artifacts they left behind.

I am aware of an intuitive relationship with fire and metal as the flame becomes an extension of my hands. I love working on a small scale because it's art you can take with you. You can take your favorite painting to lunch, but, depending on the size of the canvas, the experience could get a little awkward, maybe even messy. Art you wear can go anywhere. I take it all, and I wear it all. Evening wear or overalls, it doesn't matter. I'm constantly opening the lockets or spinning the rings with flipping bezels. They are my talismans, the prayer wheels of my ideas and experiences. My work isn't only about how the pieces look when worn. How my pieces make the person wearing them feel is essential.