Green Dot Necklace, 2023
18" chain/ 1.5" x 1.5" x .25" (pendant) sterling silver, 18k gold, moldavite, horse canyon agate |
I acquired this horse canyon agate from a stone cutter that I have known for many years. The image inside the stone reminds one of a landscape painting, reminiscent of mountains or sand dunes. However, there is one spot of green vegetation in the landscape, and I thought it appropriate to accentuate this with the inclusion of the moldavite stone that sits atop the bail. The back of the pendant is open, and lets ample light through since the stone is transparent. |
Tourmaline Dream, 2023
size 6 sterling silver, 18k gold, tourmaline |
Aerial View, 2023
size 7 sterling silver, 18k gold, tourmaline |
These two rings were inspired by rugged aerial landscapes. Several elements were assembled to create the compositions seen here. Both feature sparkling green tourmaline stones that are enhanced by the 18k gold features that surround them. |
This bracelet was made using many lines of both silver and gold. It was a challenge to construct this piece as I wanted it to be fluid in its movement- this was achieved by using steel cable running through the wires and connecting at both ends. The green tourmaline cluster in the center creates a colorful organic break from all of the vertical elements. |
Linear Earrings, 2021
1.5" x 1" sterling silver (oxidized), 18k gold |
These earrings are made in the same way and correspond with the bracelet above. I like the way the intense stacking of the lines repeats throughout. This is interspersed with elements of 18k gold wire and sheet to bring some color to the otherwise monochromatic piece. |
Constellation Bracelet, 2021
8" long sterling silver, 18k gold, tourmalines |
This piece belongs to a jewelry series that explores linear structures and how they can be arranged and linked so that they flow and move with the contours of the body. For this particular piece, I was thinking about the spaces between stars, and how if one were to connect them with lines, a web-like structure would emerge, and could then become wearable. Gold dots are sprinkled atop the silver lines, and tourmaline stones are used to punctuate certain interior spaces. |
This ring utilizes wire in a different way than the rest of the pieces in this series. I thought it would create a rich and dramatic texture to cover a silver band in vertical wires that travel around the finger- set off with the centerpiece of a long tourmaline bar cut stone. The piece also has small 18k gold granules around the setting with the gold color playing off the green of the stone. |
This necklace developed slowly and was designed as I was building it, since I had an idea of what I wanted to achieve, but did not know if it would work out well until I could put the physical elements together. Because of the connecting rings, this piece changes constantly as the wearer moves around in it. |
Long Wraps, 2020
2"x .75" sterling silver, 18k gold |
Sapphire Wraps, 2020
1.5"x 1" sterling silver, 18k gold, blue sapphires |
These are some of the first pieces I made in the 'wrapped' series. For this work, I am using very thin sheet metal to wrap around wire forms, and in some cases, metal sheet. I like the way the silver wrinkles in the open areas, and wraps cleanly around the metal planes. |
I began using textured thin bezel material in some of my jewelry work, and thought it might work as a way to make chain. These elements are individually formed into teardrop shapes and then linked together with sapphire stone settings interspersed throughout the necklace. The thinness of the material and the way it is constructed remind me of the paper chains that I made as a child. |
Fluid Brooch, 2018
4" x 2" x 1.25" sterling silver, mahogany wood |
This brooch is a sample of the type of material and forms that will be used in a sculptural object I am now making. The main body of the piece is hollow formed, which allows for a larger sized object that isn't very heavy. The fluid lines of the piece made me think of a watercourse, so I carved a drop of wood that dangles on the end when worn. |
Double Resonance, 2015
7.5"x 3.5" x 1" copper, sterling silver, patina |
This piece was a sample necklace form I made to see how the 'horns' would look using this particular starting pattern. I also wanted to try different patinas before moving to create the necklace above. The form suggests two horns sounding out a melody- hence the silver wires that emerge from the tips of each end. |
Paint Brooches, 2015
3"x 2"x 1"/ 3.5"x 2.5" x .5"/ 3" x 2"x .5" copper, latex paint |
I was making some forms out of thin copper sheet in order to play with different ways they could be cut, folded and assembled. I wanted to use some color in these pieces and I happened to have several cans of old latex house paint lying around. I ended up dipping and painting them- building up coats and watching the old paint bubble and separate from the underlayers. I think of these pieces as patina tests- perhaps to be used on another piece in the future. |
Lime Tuck #1, 2014
2"x 1.5"x 1.5" foam, gesso, sterling silver, steel |
Lime Tuck #2, 2014
2.5"x 2"x 2" foam, gesso, sterling silver, steel |
Lime Tuck #3, 2014
2"x 2"x 1.5" foam, gesso, sterling silver, steel |
I began these pieces as a material experiment to see how the foam would look when soaked in gesso, letting just a bit of the original green color show through. the addition of the silver balls in the folds of the foam ended up resembling body piercings, which was unintentional yet interesting. |
Woodpile Matrix #2, 2013
3.5"x 2.5"x 1.5" sterling silver, wood, model paint |
Woodpile Matrix #1, 2013
4" x 2" x 1.25" sterling silver, wood, model paint |
Distilled, 2013
4.5"x 2.5"x 1", copper, sterling silver, wood, concrete |
These brooches are about deconstruction and constrcution-specifically of buildings. I was thinking of how to represent the wood piles left after the building has come down, or maybe the piles of wood and other materials waiting to be made into some new structure. paint, concrete, wood and metal are used in these pieces to represent this concept. |
Melting, 2012
5.5"x 2"x .5" copper, wood, sterling silver, powder coat |
Crystalizing, 2012
3"x 2.5"x 1.25" copper, wood, sterling silver, powder coat |
Smoking, 2012
4"x 2.5"x 1" copper, wood, sterling silver, powder coat |
For these brooches, I took three simple shapes to being with: circle, square, and oval. The extensions that expand from the corners of each shape represent three ways those simple shapes could transform- melting, crystallizing, and smoking. The wire constructions on top of the base pieces represent these actions as form. |
Bleeding Earrings, 2012
2.5"x 1" x 3/8" sterling silver, 14k gold |
Crystalizing Earrings, 2012
3"x 1.5"x 1" sterling silver, 14k gold |
Smoking Earrings, 2012
3"x 1.5" x 1.5" sterling silver, 14k gold |
I made this series of earrings as companion pieces to the brooch series above. I love building open forms with wire, and these earrings use just enough lines to create the idea of a complete form. |
Nesting Cups, 2010
2"x 4.5"x 2.5" sterling silver, 14k gold |
I decided to create these cups as a continuation of the mineral and crystal forms body of work. They are made to be displayed together, one with the crystals acting as the feet of the piece and holding it up and the other having crystals protruding off the side and being framed by the smaller cup. |
I have always been fascinated with crystals, stones, and mineral specimens. These two brooches show both the silhouettes of each particular specimen, and their three-dimensional crystal formations. I liked the contrast of the forms growing out of the flat shapes, and how they are composed like a three-dimensional drawing. |
Epidote, 2009
2" x 2.5" x .5" sterling silver, 14k gold |
Sal Ammoniac, 2009
1"x 3" x 1.25" sterling silver, 14k gold |
Window, 2009
3"x 2" x 3/8" sterling silver, 14k gold |
Gold Drop, 2009
1.5" x 2.5" x 3/8" sterling silver, 14k gold |
When I began making these brooches, I was interested in creating hollow constructed forms that would include an interior space the viewer could be drawn into. The top face of each of these uses etched metal patterns that are reminiscent of architectural or grid structures, which led me to open the spaces like windows on the top of each piece. |
Marshmallow Rings, 2008
1.5" x 1" x 1" un-cast ring waxes, plastic |
These pieces are made from vintage ring waxes. The waxes were so delicate and brittle that instead of casting them into metal, I decided to coat them with liquid plastic and paint. The coats of plastic and paint built up and up until I achieved these soft and mysterious looking rings. All of the previous details are softened and obscured making one wonder what the original forms looked like. These rings now reside in the teaching collection of the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Oregon. |