tending my handmade life
making …
~ indigo is the heart, the thread, that weaves it way through my life and work
~ images come, shapes flow, clay is rolled, pinched and poked, nudged and smeared, textures emerge, indigo awaits linen, dip … dip again and then again, spirit guides the selection of essential oils, blends awaken, form follows function, the simplest answer is usually the best answer, scanning bins for bits and bobs, sparkly or matte, stack or layer, solder or wrap, drill and sand and file, long or not so long, plain or forged, shiny or satin, hand or machine stitched, another drop or two or not
~ comfort and ease, no snaggy bits, functions as conceived, not too heavy, not too light, balanced, uplifting, essential
~ composition and creation is improvisation, intuitive, spirit guided
~ above all else ... effortless, joyful, empowering
do we really need more stuff ?
As a maker, I struggle with the idea of creating more stuff to put out into the world. An online friend responded, "We live in a world of things ... make things with soul, consciously, with gratitude for what is used." Thanks, Dawn!
about the jewelry ...
I started making jewelry in 1994 and through the years I've assimilated a diverse range of influences and interests into a distinctive jewelry style that I call Urban Primitive.
I'm primarily self-taught via lots of how-to books and seem to have a gift for design and composition. My medium of choice is a relatively new material called Precious Metal Clay (PMC) - precious or base metal powders in a clay-like base. I began working with the original fine silver PMC in 1998 and it was love at first touch. My favorite thing about metal clay is how I can form each component by hand, pinching and nudging shapes, smearing and rolling edges ... my fingerprints are visible in each piece, quite literally, the hand of the maker. After forming, the elements are fired in a kiln; the clay burns out, leaving the now-fused metal - 22k gold, fine silver, steel and bronze.
where I live ...
I’m now working from our dream-come-true, rustic home in the mountains of Western North Carolina … a small log cabin on 7 acres, a scenic 2 miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I’m diving deep into my surroundings … exploring and sharing my finds on IGM and YouTube and seeing how this ancient landscape influences my work.
