Artist Statement

Mixed media art and jewelry, working with beads, found objects, and stories

I work with small seed beads and a collection of larger beads and found objects, Beads are my second artistic medium. Initially trained as a potter at the California College of Arts and Crafts, I continue to maintain a tight focus on the artistic elements of color, texture, and form.

Using hundreds of varieties of beads, I create a complex palette of color, like a watercolorist's palette. When I assemble all of the elements together, I carefully choose contrasting and complementary elements that play off each individual bead as well as the overall piece.

I like the slowness of beading. I weave each individual bead by hand into its place. I find a sense of calm in focusing on the slow, rhythmic nature of the work. Pieces can take from an hour for a simple pair of earrings to over 100 hours for a sculptural necklace.

I like the way the beads themselves take part in the creative process. Each bead has its unique personality and history. From pre-WWI miniature seed beads purchased from a world traveler at the end of her life to a modern lampwork bead made by a local friend, each bead demands to be used in a specific way.

To these qualities, I add several elements of my own: storytelling, humor, ambiguity, a sense of place, interesting juxtapositions, irony, and surprise. My pieces are inspired by a story, feeling, or image. For example, my 'Pomegranate' series evokes the experience of luscious red spring blossoms after a long cold winter. 'Monarch Migration' recalls an impromptu gathering of thousands upon thousands of butterflies in rural southern Minnesota.

I am minimalistic in my technique. I have chosen one technique, the peyote stitch, and I exploit this stitch's endless possibilities for creating texture and incorporating beads of all size. I do not bother with learning the latest stitches or patterns; I use the peyote stitch as something that can disappear into the background as I focus on what I love about the medium - the possibility of telling surprising stories by focusing on classic elements of fine artwork.