“I am a formally trained metalsmith. I began my education decades ago in a community college in San Francisco. I was inspired by Roger Baird, my first metals teacher, to attend art school and I attended California College of Arts for my BFA and later California State University Long Beach for my MFA. I have always loved the technical aspects of metal working and I find it challenging to create successful pieces. It’s a happy surprise when I make something I like.

I work from my studio/home in Pasadena, and I am a professor emeritus at Pasadena City College where I taught (jewelry, crafts & 3D-design) for 33years. When I retired 5 years ago from academia, my husband built a studio that could accommodate 8 students comfortably. I have taught numerous workshops and classes here, as well as hosted visiting artists.

The enamels I make in my jewelry are a reflection of my ideas about texture and surface. I use the traditional techniques of sifting, stenciling, sgraffito with pencil, overglaze, leaded and unleaded enamels. I play with firing temperature to obtain a textured surface or often stone the surface to give a smoother matte appearance.

Over the years, I have collected a number of objects that I have resonated with me: minerals, rocks, pods, branches, leaves, beads, found objects & semi precious stones. I accumulated these things from all over the world for over a quarter of a century: treasures from medinas, roadside stands, curio shops, and bead makers hidden in small alleyways.

I began making compositions of these things that had beauty, collectability, or a backstory. I stuck them down on construction paper with bits of clay, composing shapes and planning out how I would fabricate them to work together.

These pieces became what I call the “Compositions of Metal, Glass, & Mineral” series. I aspire to bring forward what seems familiar to the viewer but is viewed from a different perspective.”