I hail from the tall pine forests of rural North Carolina, where I developed a love for all things handmade. Ever since I can remember, I have been creating things with my hands. Over the years I have had successful art businesses in basketry and ceramics and I have also worked as a counselor in end of life care. It thrills me to transform a raw material such as clay, fabric or fiber into a beautiful object that brings pleasure to the owner. My artistic path has now brought me to metal, and I feel that I am home. I work in a small artisan workshop in southwest Portland where I fabricate my jewelry and story boxes from wire and flat sheets of silver, brass, bronze and reclaimed copper. I often embellish the pieces with carefully selected stones and semi-precious gems. I draw my inspiration for the boxes from children’s books, poems and quotes. Using traditional metalsmithing techniques, the metal is hand-sawn, formed, filed, hammered, soldered and polished into a beautiful work of art which is truly one-of-a-kind.