In making my Blooms, I am inspired by form and volume and how far I can push that to make a piece that is still wearable in either an everyday context or for a special occasion. I love generous use of rich materials whether they are larger pearls or onyx beading or several layers of tiny seed beading, the layering of texture over the primary volume and form.
Most of my metalwork is done by electroforming and its creative process is opposite to my fabric work in that the texture usually takes first consideration with form and volume following after. In designing this work, I try to focus on personal nostalgia and specifically the way we collect tokens or specimens – sand, shells, pebbles – to remind us of places or people. In creating custom portable objects with a client’s personal specimens, they can share their stories about their tokens as they wear them, rather than having these natural elements sitting in a jar on on a shelf located where little conversation takes place. My production work typically focuses on textures and shapes found in marine life and abstracted to varying degrees.
