Artist Statement

My art is a comment on how I interact with the world. Everything I make is autobiographical, referring to a location and how it affects me both externally and internally. I use the mediums of textile and metal to convey these two related ideas in different ways. My textile work expresses emotional comfort, while my jewelry refers to matters of external location or physical security.

State of Mind

Images of Richmond, Virginia have become a symbol for stability. The crowded skyline of Fan District townhouses reminds me of social connections and friendships. The city block grid speaks of order and steadiness in a world I often find maddeningly chaotic. I like to blend topographic and aerial images with personal symbolism to form an abstraction of a place- my mental image of it. I find myself thinking about the significance of home, and the transitions I’ve gone through as its specific geographic location has changed.

Ventanas

I recently spent four months teaching jewelry making in Xela, Guatemala. The architectural forms of this city, in particular the wrought-ironwork, has inspired my art both in imagery and concept. I draw upon patterns from window bars and wall tiles, made for the purpose of securing houses and businesses in a city where robbery is epidemic. It intrigues me that such beautiful and intricate work is dedicated to such an ugly purpose with potentially violent implications. The jewelry I make uses Spanish colonial patterns in miniature form. These pieces are delicate, but the sheer number of connections and mass of pattern makes them sturdy both physically and visually. I think of my jewelry in this line as protection of the delicate systems of our psyches, as their large-scale counterparts are physical protection from the threats of a dangerous street.

Sparrows

In the three places I have lived: Virginia, Guatemala, and Montana, I think the only thing there is in common are sparrows. Birds represent my search for happiness. Their freedom in flight and graceful playfulness are things I strive for in my own life. I think of them as a more spiritually connected life form than humans. If I was a bird, I would be happy.