I grew up in Grand Blanc Michigan, the youngest of three girls. Our personalities span the spectrum and I ended up as the tomboy. I was raised with an entrepreneurial mindset by a stay at home Mom with a bent for the unusual and a very dynamic father in the vending business.
I was a competitive swimmer until I was 15. The butterfly was my passion and I trained with an uncommon zeal. When I began to realize the limitations of my petite stature in a sport dominated by the more lofty I turned those energies toward music. I dove into choir, classical guitar and theater and was awarded a scholarship for music from Michigan State University.
My first real job was as a department store display designer. I enjoyed the creative nature of the work and discovered that I had a good eye for placement and color. I nearly became an interior designer, but instead pursued an income closer to the family business.
The next ten years were a blend of joy, hard knocks and some failed relationships. I grew into womanhood, stronger for the challenges I had faced, and am now just a little less naïve than I was in my youth.
I met my soul mate when I was 34 and together we escaped the ever-present cloud of the frigid rustbelt. Pittsboro has felt like home since the day we arrived. Living in this community has rekindled my artistic passions.
I come from a family of welders. My grandfather, my uncle and my cousins are all welders and the process has fascinated me as long as I can remember.
I studied welding and blacksmithing with John Amaro at CCCC for about a year, and continue learning on my own and taking classes. It is so fulfilling to finally take my vision and make it come to life. There’s nothing I enjoy more than taking a rusty piece of scrap metal and turning into something beautiful.
Artist’s Statement
I have always danced to my own rhythms and have often felt more “unique” than I wanted to be. This was difficult to accept as an adolescent, but I have begun to appreciate, and even celebrate, seeing the world through these eyes. I have developed the courage to see what I see and like what I like without worrying about what others will say.
Metal is such a strong medium and it is very empowering to manipulate it as I please. My goal, whether I start out that way or not, is always to breathe life into cold, hard, lifeless steel. My favorite pieces are those that seem to dance or flow. I long to wield the alchemists touch and transform the uninteresting into true art.
Metalsmithing for me is like poetry for some people. The designs express my emotions and offer the world a glimpse of my inner self.
My work has been displayed at:
- Womencraft - Chapel Hill, NC - current
- Chatham Arts- Pittsboro, NC - current
- General Store Cafe - Pittsboro, NC - current
- Fearrington Potting Shed - Pittsboro, NC - current
- Carrboro Town Hall - Carrboro, NC - current
- NC Crafts Gallery - Carrboro, NC - current
- Various Online Distributions - current
- Chatham Studio Tour - Pittsboro, NC - 2003-2006
- Sidestreet Gallery - Pittsboro, NC - 2005-2006
- Through Women's Eyes by Women's Hands - Chapel Hill, NC - 2004
- Shakori Hills Grass Roots Festival - Pittsboro, NC - 2004
- Magnolia Marketplace - Cary, NC - 2004
- New Horizons Trading Company - Pittsboro, NC - 2004
- Cedar Creek Gallery - Creedmore, NC 2003
- Tour de Moncure - Moncure, NC - 2003
- Carrboro Learning Place & Art Gallery - Carrboro, NC - 2003
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