Gallery One

Gallery Two

Gallery Three

I was born in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. I left after graduation from high school to travel the world and never did return to B.C. to live. I travelled extensively through Europe, Asia and Australia, ending up in New Zealand where I lived for thirteen years. It was during my time here that I developed a fascination for Aboriginal, Maori, Polynesian and other ethnic cultural art.

The time I spent in Hawaii further fostered this interest though it was not until I met my now ex-husband, a jeweler who taught me how to turn this delight with exotic cultures into metal and bead forms. We sailed the Pacific on our yacht, spending years in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, where we were honored to meet and share with the local people, getting involved in their art and its many forms.

Upon settling in Florida I got serious about my work and continued to take workshops where I found much excitement and stimulation in working with other artists and learning new methods and skills.

Those skills include: 

• Shell Forming -- Betty Helen Longhi

• Hydraulic Die Press -- Lee Marshall

• 3D Crimp Forming -- Marne Ryan

• Precious Metal Clay -- Beth Simpson

I still love the ethnic look though I am partial to contemporary. Not knowing exactly what will come out of the process is a never ending joy. I like the clean, simplistic look and use rare, unusual jaspers. I work with sterling, 18 & 22kt gold and each piece something exotic, colorful or just pure fun.

Techniques I use include:

• Reticulation -- heating metal to achieve a wrinkled, crumpled look

• Folding -- you fold the metal, then open it up, leaving lines and patterns

• Forming -- shaping metal using hammers

• Fusion -- layers of sterling fused with a torch then flattened in a rolling mill. After cutting to shape I fuse 22kt onto the sterling. The piece is then put in a solution of 'liver of sulphur' which darkens the sterling, highlighting the texture, the gold remains bright and contrasts with the blackened metal.

I now live in Mt. Carroll, Illinois which is located in the Northwestern corner of the state, approximately two and one half hours West of Chicago. I show my work at outdoor art fairs across the nation. View my show schedule here.

My work can be viewed at "Hand & Spirit Gallery" in the heart of historic Mt. Carroll, Illinois and at "Outside the Lines Gallery" in Dubuque, IA.