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My interest in jewelry began when I was seven, scouring the gravel
driveway of my grandparents’ farm for interesting stones. The path I
have taken has brought me a long way from that driveway – first
studying fine arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, then
graphic design at Milwaukee Area Technical College and finally jewelry
design and fabrication at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. After
working as a graphic artist for several years, my interest in stones
was rekindled which led me to explore the design and fabrication of
jewelry. This allowed me to combine my need to create with my love of
stones.
My
work is a combination of influences. Organic,
architectural and industrial shapes all find a place within my designs;
sometimes keeping to themselves, other times blending and flowing into
each other. My background in fine art, photography and graphic design
gives me a unique perspective as a jewelry designer. Form and color, so
important in photography and graphic design are also vital to the
creation of jewelry. Jewelry differs in one important way, as does all
sculpture: the artist is free to explore a 3-dimensional approach.
Much of my work is built in layers, creating semi-enclosed areas that
play with light and shadow and positive and negative spaces. The
ability to cut the stones that I use in my work allows me to conceive
and execute my work in a way that many designers cannot – I develop a
design and cut the stones to fulfill my vision, which allows my
imagination a much broader canvas to work on than if I had to rely
solely on precut stones.
I
currently work full-time as an
artist, creating jewelry in my studio in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. In 2006 I recieved
Honorable Mention at Art in the Park in Appleton, Wisconsin and the
Judge's Choice Award at the Summer Art Classic in Baraboo, Wisconsin. In 2007 I recieved Honorable Mention at the Sturgeon Bay Fine Art Fair, "Best in Jewelry" at the Joliet Fine Art Festival of the Masters, in Joliet, Illinois, an invitational fine art show featuring 200 national artists, Best in Show-second place at the Summer Art Classic in Baraboo, Wisconsin and second place at ArtFest in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. 2008 awards include: First Place – Three Dimensional Art at the Sturgeon Bay Fine Art Fair and First Place – Three Dimensional Art at the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum Arts Festival.
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