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| Growing up, it never occurred to me that art or anything that involved working with your hands was a possible way of life. I did know from a very early age, that I did not like to get up early, hated schedules or anything I was supposed to do for that matter, and could not imagine getting "dressed" for work. Luckily, I dropped out of college. My jewelry education began in 1997 with a fortuitous meeting at Rockit's Pizza in Bloomington, Indiana with Peruvian goldsmith, Arturo Rodriguez. I spent a couple years apprenticing with him, a few more teaching myself by absorbing books and experimenting in my home studio (one year my rolling mill lived in my bedroom), several months at an independent jewelry academy, and two semesters dropping in on forging, casting, and pewtersmithing classes taught by Fred Fenster at the University of Wisconsin. Miniature worlds, a snapshot of a river, fruit, or imaginary flower – this is how I see the images I create in silver and gold. Matte surface textures contrast with the dark patinated silver and create a graphic quality in my pieces. I design with a photographer’s eye for composition and balance, capturing the microcosms I see into metal. Growing up, I received 24k gold jewelry as gifts, as is traditional in Chinese culture. As a kid, it seemed gaudy and out of place in southern Indiana– now I love it for it’s warmth, glow, and purity. Silver and high-karat gold consist of the palette I design in. I prefer working directly with the metal, mostly fabricating my pieces out of sheet and wire, but also casting wax carvings that are then combined with fabricated elements. Sheets of metal are roll-printed with paper or leaves to create subtle textures. I make dies out of brass and plexiglass, which are used in a hydraulic press to form the metal and create dimension. Forging and piercing with a jeweler’s saw define lines. Filing, sanding, and soldering bring it all together. Careful patination of the silver create the backdrop to the floating elements above. I recently moved to Hannibal, MO, home of many transplanted artists from big coastal cities who have come to Mark Twain's hometown to renovate beautiful old buildings into beautiful new studios and galleries. |
