I create artwork with the colors, textures, and structures of enamels and cold connections, experimenting with techniques and methods in my minimal home studio. I’m inspired by my mathematical background, my love for being in any and all bodies of water, and, most recently, the landscape of my current British home country, particularly the dramatic coastline which I literally incorporate into much of my work. I regularly design modularity and movement into pieces, thinking of jewelry as sculpture for both body adornment and display, as well as a way to visually present my impressions and thoughts. While diverse in style and technique, my work is always bursting with color and texture.

A mathematician by training and employment, I took up metalwork and jewelry making at the Baltimore Jewelry Center in 2016 and discovered my particular passion for enameling there in the winter of 2019. In early 2020, I started working primarily with a kiln and basic tools in my home. Without access to soldering equipment, I began exploring settings with cold connections. My initial, somewhat begrudging work with rivets and tabs soon became enthusiastic as I discovered the creative possibilities of these techniques, particularly the addition of movement and dimension, and the freedom granted by the lack of heat.

Because I work in my home studio where I’m regularly visited by my cat, I deliberately chooses processes that minimize contaminants and residue, such as wet-packing techniques, vinegar and salt for pickling and cleaning, retaining firescale and oxidation in my work, collecting remnants for counter enamel, and collecting and sorting all metal scraps. My focus on environmentally-conscious methods has evolved into consideration of the entire life-cycle of my work, including modification, repurposing, and eventual recycling once it’s out of my control. I relish the challenge of making my ideas reality within all these constraints.

As my skill and confidence have grown, my work has increased in scale, ambition, and meaning. I discover many of my techniques by accident, and have come to appreciate my failures almost as much as my successes (eventually).