Reflections
exhibit
My work is an investigation of clothing patterns, weave structures, architecture and bits of
nature. I allude to these explorations without suggesting a literal reference. Front could be back,
top could be bottom, what is visible, what is concealed; many layers are parts to a whole. My
process allows for me to add and take way, to see, feel, respond, question and remember.
I get clues from the inherent nature of different materials. Using them within the same
piece, employing repetition and shifting of scales to highlight these intrinsic qualities. Surfaces
reflect light or absorb it…shadows that distort or accentuate. Various patterns, colors, textures and
surface treatments interact; their juxtaposition is key and often surprising. It is a way of organizing
thoughts and guiding ones eye throughout a piece.
What is seen depends on the light, the color the clothing that is being worn, or the mood ones in;
there are multiple solutions to the same problem. It is about acknowledging a moment in time.
Working with materials in hand, labor, an unfolding of ideas. The act of dressing and adorning.
These expressions of nonverbal communication become a record, a reflection. They connect us
individually and as a culture with our past and with our future.
Complements
exhibit
People of all cultures have adorned the body since ancient times. Our modern clothing and
accessories can lead us back throughout the ages to the primitive desire for ornament. First
expressed through body painting and tattooing, this urge was followed by ornaments specifically for
different parts of the body, and later by body coverings including clothing, hats, and shoes. Within
the dichotomy of idiosyncrasy and conformity of the human species there has always been room
for personal interpretations and participation, hence my love of observing people and how they
interact in their environment.
I believe that there is an art in jewelry and dress and that they complement each other
quite beautifully, using the body as their playground. Worn close to, or on the body they are both
powerful and intimate in nature, and contribute to our social and personal environment as we move
within it. Central to my interests are these unavoidable interactions and how we participate with
them.
My jewelry evolves through being made. I have a starting place with no specific ending in
sight, to me a truly enjoyable and organic process that is tuned in to both intuition and knowledge
at the same time. Enriched by my curiosity in the parallel yet sometimes blurry line between jewelry
and apparel, my process is fueled by a direct response to materials. I work with complementary yet
very different materials. Traditional to jewelry, gold, silver, and precious stones are fairly rigid and
hold their shape. Traditional to apparel, fibers such as silk are soft and conform. My work
references and employs handwork such as stitching, weaving, and knotting, yet also makes use of
industrial production and precision in materials such as screen. Repetition and formal elements of
shape, color, texture, and dimension are essential. Grids, both mechanical and organic used in
many variations, creating a surface that allows for different applications of the same materials—
making evident qualities innate to them. These structures and supports are integral, sometimes
they are left and appear as a key design element, other times they disappear and only the
handwork can be seen. Using contrasting materials side by side, with the result a functional object
meant to be worn on the body, I am able to create the layered effect I am interested in, triggering
both metaphoric and literal interpretations. Not stationary or static, all forms of adornment mean
different things on different people and certainly at different times. They are a reflection of both the
wearer and of a rich history of adornment.