| I make art for the thrill of discovery and for clarity of mind it brings me. Sitting in front of my clay I feel centered as I do nowhere else. I feel tapped into all of creation, as if I am simply fulfilling my natural role as a conduit for creativity. As beautiful things flow from my hands, I know that they are coming not just from me, but straight out of the creative energy of the universe.
I am fascinated with the how natural things come into being. I am inspired by the fragile beauty of diatoms and the prolific repetition of seedpods, how water beads, and bubbles form and gather. I am interested in our roots as living species and the basic building blocks that all of nature is built upon. Making beads is a way for me to engage these natural forces. Creating symmetry immediately evokes living things. Simple variations in technique are irresistible, and each minor shift reveals new forms, patterns, and colors. I explore systematically, quickly becoming bored if I repeat something. The result is that each of my pieces is a one of a kind artifact of a dynamic engagement with creativity. I hope that the sense of immediacy and discovery that I feel while making this jewelry is carried to all who encounter it. My Materials:Polymer Clay: Polymer clay is a synthetic colored clay that cures at a low temperature in an oven. It lends itself to a wide variety of structural and surface decoration applications. In patterning my clay, I use no paints or glazes. Instead, I actually build in the patterns by physically manipulating the clay in different ways. Precious Metal Clay: Also known as PMC, this is another material that, while not dug out of the ground like ceramic clay, has some things in common with it and has come to be called “clay.” PMC consists of powdered silver, an organic binder, and water. It is manipulated like clay and then fired in a kiln. When it is fired, the binder burns away and the silver fuses, or “sinters.” The resulting object is fine silver. |
