As a child, colorful beads drew me to making jewelry. This simple hobby became a passion as I discovered unusual vintage glass beads and experimented with a variety of stringing materials—one of which was wire—to create fun pieces. After receiving a degree in graphic design, which taught me how to analyze and see the world in different ways, I looked beyond the beads and saw potential in the wire itself.

My work naturally progressed as I became more comfortable with the medium—wire took a more prominent role and my flat shapes became dimensional. Many of my early pieces have a natural quality, resembling leaves and seedpods. These designs developed organically—it’s easier to create curved forms with wire since it comes coiled. I responded to what the wire was willing to do. Seeing these organic shapes develop before my eyes lead me away from man-made glass accents and toward more natural forms of freshwater pearls and stones that are in my designs today.

Wire is now second nature for me. Not that it doesn’t still surprise and excite me, but I have learned to tame the tangle. I challenge myself to create new shapes and coax the wire to do what it does not want. Much of my work is about form and structure—the wire is both the underlying framework and the delicate, linear wrapping that gives shape and ultimately adds the real strength. This process of constructing a piece makes me feel like a sculptor during the development phase, but I still feel the joy and excitement of finishing a piece that is meant to accent and decorate the body. My work and the techniques involved are a wonderful intersection of art, design, craft, and adornment.