Artist Statement

My path to making jewelry has been unusual! I grew up in Florida and moved to Minnesota to attend Carleton College.  I have a B.A. in Biology and an M.S. in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Minnesota.  I have used neither degree professionally.  Instead, I went directly from graduate school into construction.  As it turns out,  while I was working on my Master's degree, I realized that, although I excelled at academics, I needed to work with my hands.  I learned that I enjoyed construction by working on projects at home, and I found that it offered many things that I wanted for my life:  physical labor, working with my hands, problem solving, learning about new things constantly, being able to see the results of my work in a tangible way, and an easy way to be self-employed.  Ultimately I became a licensed remodeling contractor.

My artistic side began to be exercised when I learned to knit in 2000.  At about the same time I started playing around with wire and experimenting with forms and textures.  A friend jokingly suggested that I should combine the two interests and knit with wire, so of course I tried it.  While I found knitting with wire to be unappealing, the entire concept of working a textile technique with wire was intriguing.  I soon found that my experiments with wire braiding and weaving were taking over my life, and by 2007 I had left the construction industry and was working full-time on creating with wire.

My work today is created using Argentium sterling silver and 14 karat gold-fill wire that I weave, braid, and form entirely by hand. Several of the techniques used are derived from textile or historical processes.  One technique, commonly known as “Viking knitting,” is a 1200 year-old method of weaving fine wire around a mandrel to create interconnected loops, similar to knitted fabric.  The wire is worked by hand, making loops around other loops with one long piece of wire at a time.  I have adapted the basic process to incorporate gemstone beads, and have also developed a way of working the technique flat.  Another technique I use is based on the “soumak weave,” a method still in use to weave Persian rugs.  I also use classic braiding patterns, usually worked with fiber, to braid silver and gold wire. Thematically, I continue to explore the spiral, which shows up frequently in my work.