Artist Bio
The Beginning
From the early age of 5, when my mother taught me how to knit, I knew that creating was meant to be an integral part of my life. Throughout my childhood, I explored different mediums, from sewing clothes to enrolling in a woodworking class in high school.
Formative Years
In graduate school, I delved into metal and jewelry art education, but it was the gift of a Nikon camera that truly ignited my artistic spark. Drawn to the dramatic effects of black and white film manipulated in the dark room and inspired by photographers like Diane Arbus and Dorthea Lange, I briefly pursued photojournalism before finding my true calling as a fiber artist.
Artist, Reinvented
In the 90's a vast variety of colorful fabrics became available. I studied traditional quilting but found abstract designs far more satisfying. For the next two decades I created abstract quilts, fiber wearables, and wall baskets. I took a detour to try ceramics and hand building with clay. I loved the sculptural aspect of working with clay and produced organic shapes and unusual functional pottery, and on occasion turned my home into a pottery store. While clay offered me the chance to explore sculptural forms, I missed working with a colorful medium.
In 2005, a friend introduced me to dichroic glass fusion and beading. The vibrant colors of glass stimulated my creativity and led to the next decade of beaded jewelry making. I returned to create jewelry with various metals. Then a visit to a Alexander Caldor’s exhibit of mobiles drew me into fabricating my own mobiles out of hand-forged metals, and I began creating with copper, silver, and wood.
Mosaics and Me
About five years ago, I was visiting a local high school and I fell in love with a huge mosaic mural done by the students. At that time, mosaics were evolving from more classical perspectives to ones allowing more artistic freedom. Drawn to the tremendous range of colors available in stained glass, I immersed myself in creating large mosaics of portraits, landscapes, and abstract designs. I love the painterly approach learned from my mentor Yulia Hanansen and from recreating the works of great impressionist painters such as Van Gough and Renoir.
I am excited to see how I will grow my artistic skills with glass as my medium.
Fluid Art
In 2022, I had an amazing experience at the beach when I took a fluid art workshop. This experience set me on the path to
discover acrylic paints and the magic that can happen when you change the concentration of this medium into a pouring form.
From the early age of 5, when my mother taught me how to knit, I knew that creating was meant to be an integral part of my life. Throughout my childhood, I explored different mediums, from sewing clothes to enrolling in a woodworking class in high school.
Formative Years
In graduate school, I delved into metal and jewelry art education, but it was the gift of a Nikon camera that truly ignited my artistic spark. Drawn to the dramatic effects of black and white film manipulated in the dark room and inspired by photographers like Diane Arbus and Dorthea Lange, I briefly pursued photojournalism before finding my true calling as a fiber artist.
Artist, Reinvented
In the 90's a vast variety of colorful fabrics became available. I studied traditional quilting but found abstract designs far more satisfying. For the next two decades I created abstract quilts, fiber wearables, and wall baskets. I took a detour to try ceramics and hand building with clay. I loved the sculptural aspect of working with clay and produced organic shapes and unusual functional pottery, and on occasion turned my home into a pottery store. While clay offered me the chance to explore sculptural forms, I missed working with a colorful medium.
In 2005, a friend introduced me to dichroic glass fusion and beading. The vibrant colors of glass stimulated my creativity and led to the next decade of beaded jewelry making. I returned to create jewelry with various metals. Then a visit to a Alexander Caldor’s exhibit of mobiles drew me into fabricating my own mobiles out of hand-forged metals, and I began creating with copper, silver, and wood.
Mosaics and Me
About five years ago, I was visiting a local high school and I fell in love with a huge mosaic mural done by the students. At that time, mosaics were evolving from more classical perspectives to ones allowing more artistic freedom. Drawn to the tremendous range of colors available in stained glass, I immersed myself in creating large mosaics of portraits, landscapes, and abstract designs. I love the painterly approach learned from my mentor Yulia Hanansen and from recreating the works of great impressionist painters such as Van Gough and Renoir.
I am excited to see how I will grow my artistic skills with glass as my medium.
Fluid Art
In 2022, I had an amazing experience at the beach when I took a fluid art workshop. This experience set me on the path to
discover acrylic paints and the magic that can happen when you change the concentration of this medium into a pouring form.