Artist Statement

If it is round and shiny, square and shiny, flat and shiny, or just shiny, then I will love it, buy it and use it to make something.  I am most satisfied if my finished piece moves.   Light and motion are some of the positive elements that give me creative energy. 

My fascination with beads began with a collection of Victorian beaded handbags.  I bought bags that needed repair, because they better fit my budget and I searched for loose vintage beads to make those repairs.  Soon, the beads themselves became more exciting than the handbags.  Now I most often buy beads because I love the color, the weight or the surface, not because I need them for some specific project.  Later, a piece will need just those very beads.

My current work uses a beading technique called peyote stitch, which produces a sound but flexible weave.  Peyote stitch commonly used today by bead artists is done in the hands, without a loom, so it is portable.  I have spent many hours beading in airports and while waiting at the roadside for my husband to take a photograph.  

Beadwork is my joy.  When you wear my work, I know you will share the excitement I experienced creating it.