I first became interested in jewelry and beads when I was 12 years old. My mother gave me an old necklace made up of hundreds of tiny seed beads. I promptly took it apart. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of a life of creative expression.

Each of my beaded spheres begins with a needle, thread, a wooden core and the beautifully humble Japanese glass seed bead. My beads are meticulously hand-woven, one bead at a time, using the gourd stitch, around a wooden core. I DO NOT use glue. This process creates a type of fabric around the wood. I use only one piece of thread in order to maintain the integrity of the woven work. I developed my bead-weaving technique over 25 years ago — my process for woven bead rounds: The number of glass seed beads that are used around the circumference of the wooden core, combined with the number of rows keeps everything in place. This formula cuts down on friction, which is one of the reasons for breakdown in woven, beaded work.

Beaded rounds are not the entirety of my work. I also do all the hand-fabricated metalwork. Most of my work is done in sterling silver (using recycled sterling as much as possible). I create components that encircle, run through and top my spheres — developing a language that works well with my beaded rounds. The feel of my work, the strength of the combined metal, has been inspired by my love of nature as well as my travels and life experiences — a combination of colors of the earth and hard-edged urban. For me its all about the love of texture and color and the power of tiny colors coming together to create something larger.

Awards

2-Time Award Winner — Best in Jewelry Category Mid-Summer Festival of the Arts at the John Michael Koehler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI

Best in Jewelry Category Manayunk Arts Festival, Philadelphia, PA

Best in Jewelry Category Sedona Arts Festival, Sedona, AZ

2-Time Award Winner — 3-D Category State Street Art Festival, Ann Arbor, MI

Outstanding Achievement — Jewelry Category Gold Coast Art Festival, Chicago, IL

Outstanding Achievement — Jewelry Category Third Ward Art Festival, Milwaukee, WI