Bio

I have been a woodworker and made a living as a cabinetmaker and carpenter ever since graduating from Washington University, where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1977. In 1991 I received a craftsmanship award from the American Institute of Architects in St. Louis for carpentry at the Mayfair Hotel, where I was the foreman of the finish crew. Since 1994 I have been building staircases for two stair companies in St. Louis.  I live in a house that my husband, Andrew and I built in Wildwood, Missouri, in the early 90’s.

A few years ago I began making jewelry. It started with a necklace I made for myself, because I couldn’t find what I was looking for in a store. I bought a few tools and some stones and silver. I was pleased with the results and had an idea for another one, and then another. I soon began selling pieces to a shop in town to fund my habit. I started out making beaded pieces that often incorporated hammered pendants that I made with simple tools. I bought more tools and books and searched for resources. Once I bought a torch, entirely new possibilities unfolded, and things developed quickly. With heat, I’m able not only to solder, but to manipulate metals in many different ways. Being comfortable with tools from many years as a woodworker has been a great advantage in learning metalsmithing. The materials and tools are different, but the approach to the work is very similar. I fell right into this, and I love it.

Metalsmithing

Working with metals I find it necessary to constantly strike a balance between the form I have in mind and what the metal lends itself to becoming. A plain strip of sheet metal can become a beautiful form with just a simple bend or twist. Molten silver poured into wet straw can yield complex, detailed, but random forms. I usually begin a piece by starting at one of these points—a simple form that I find intriguing and then build on it, drawing from animal and plant forms, sometimes incorporating a sense of motion. When I’m having trouble with the progression of my work, it’s usually because I’m fighting the material rather than taking advantage of its properties.  My satisfaction comes from understanding the material and finding what it can do for me.