About

I started working with metal mid-life without any formal training, with a desire to learn how to move metal with torch and hammer; an age-old alchemy turning base metals into wearable bits of magic.

I have always enjoyed making things. I think this is a common refrain heard from most artists starting from childhood. Making “potions” out of water and natural materials, fairy houses for the “wee folk” who live in the woods, glue and paint and paper…. I grew up with the privilege of having the freedom to use my imagination. This also speaks to my inner magpie-“ooooh- Shiny!”

As an adult, love of the natural world set me on a career path in natural resource management as a wildlife ecologist, after earning degrees in Ecology and Conservation Biology. For the past 25 years, I have lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, raised a family, and had a small hobby farm. As change is constant in the natural world and in human lives, our 3 children grew up and headed off to college. A piece of advice I picked up being faced with the proverbial empty nest was to immerse yourself in learning something new; do something you have always wanted to do and do it fearlessly.

Recycled copper, silver, and bronze are my favorite base metals to work with, paired with native stones from Michigan including Lake Superior Agate, Isle Royale Greenstone, Mohawkite, and native copper matrix stones. Moss agate, blue kyanite, turquoise and other semi-precious gemstones from around the planet I purchase from women owned small businesses- Sistersmiths! A slightly more niche market is working with vintage and antique flatware. Many people have family heirloom silverware that they no longer use, and I turn them into rings, bracelets and necklaces. It is satisfying to up-cycle these hidden beauties and turn them into wearable art each with a unique backstory.