Born and raised in the Twin Cities, I moved to the Chicago area in 1984.When my three children were all in school, I decided to go back to school myself to study art.As an undergraduate, my focus was in drawing and watercolor painting, until I transferred to Northern Illinois University where I rediscovered a love of metals that was born years ago in high school.I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in 3-D Studio (with an emphasis on Metal and Jewelry) in 2002, and then continued on to complete a Masters of Fine Arts in 3-D Studio with an emphasis in Metal and Jewelry in December 2005.
My art covers a wide range of media, including body adornment, drawing, printmaking, watercolor, computer generated art, various metals techniques, and three dimensional sculpture. In sculpture I attempt to interpret and communicate my reaction to the world around me - how we as human beings relate to one another - using various media including metal, clay, wood, and found objects. The body adornment I create most often incorporates stones, and can be simply pure form used to express the natural beauty of the materials or conceptual wearable sculpture. I love the multiple forms of expression using metal in all these forms - its plasticity as well as its solidity. Combining metal with other materials in my art reflects the many facets of the natural world as well as the many aspects of human nature.
I currently teach Jewelry and Art Appreciation at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Illinois. In January of 2004 I had the good fortune to introduce the Jewelry/Metals program to the art department, which now includes two levels of curriculum - Jewelry I and Jewelry II, and an expanded schedule of classes. I have also been teaching at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois since 2006, covering Beginning Jewelry, Art Appreciation, and Art History.I have been a Designer and Production Manager at A Pirates Treasure Custom Jewelry, in DeKalb, Illinois for the past eight years, and I maintain a private studio where I create art, commissioned art jewelry and sculpture, and continue to develop and offer workshops and lectures.
I have been a member of the Chicago Metal Arts Guild (CMAG) and the Society of North American Goldsmiths, (SNAG) since 2003, as well as the American Crafts Council, and the College Art Association.In 2008 I served on the CMAG Events Committee, successfully hosting and conducting the workshop “Etching on Metal” at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, and organizing (along with Debbye Simpson) the Arline Fitch workshop “Woven and Plaited Metals” at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. In October 2008 I was elected to serve on CMAG's Board of Directors and was appointed Treasurer from January 2009 to September 2010. I have recently been involved in the creation of the Illinois Metal and Jewelry Artists group and currently help maintain their FaceBook presence.
