Kirkland Magazine April 2016 – Meet the Artist
2016 was my 9th year participating in the Kirkland Artist Studio Tour. I was featured in this issue of Kirkland Living as one of the many artists in the studio tour. Below is a copy of the article.
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
When did you first become interested in art?
I’ve always been interested in art. As a child, I tried to emulate my artistic mom, who worked in watercolors, oils, and ceramics. But as an adult, art became a real part of my life about 30 years ago, when I became a collector as well as taking formal art classes.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by Mother Nature’s amazing creativity. She has a way of creating “perfectly detailed,” work…be it the colorful or subdued tones in the designs inherent in jasper and agate, or the unique shapes and formations of gemstone crystals. Even architecture inspires me, particularly Art Nouveau and Art Deco. But, ultimately, it is nature’s work that has the greatest impact ton my work.
What are some of the themes of your art?
I like the “of the earth” designs. As a jewelry designer, I love to develop pieces utilizing natural stone beads, focusing on a mixture of different textures, shapes, lusters, and colors. I also love the vibrant man-made resin, batik bone, and colorful ceramic beads. Each piece I design is a unique, one-of-a-kind wearable art. Then in my fine jewelry design work, my designs are developed around unusual, rare gemstones.
What materials and mediums are you drawn to?
Beads, gemstones, and metal are what I work with most. At times I have constructed jewelry incorporating paper, watercolor, and gem collages. I personally handpick my materials, selecting the best quality and working with those which are durable enough to withstand wear. As stones are different in color, so are metals. I use a variety of metals, making hand-wrought components and finished beads as accents, including the shiny gray of sterling silver, bold copper, subdued brass, and yellow or rose gold. To add further dimension to a piece, I oxidize the metal.
Pictured necklaces
The first piece is a sterling silver necklace made of odd-shaped spinel, knotted. The second piece is a design centering on three colorful lava rounds, small black and teal wood beads, matte black chain, frosted quartz, and hand-crafted bronze connectors and S-hook clasp. The final piece is knotted Peruvian blue opal.
