30+ years of art.

NOTE: I am still refining this website…pardon the mess.

REDEFINING MYSELF

Polymer clay. Welded steel. Fiber. Paper. Photography. Pencil and paper. Wood. Over the years I reinvented myself and my career several times. I jumped from the very small to the very large, from two dimensions to three dimensions, from pasta machines and kitchen ovens to welders and plasma cutters to x-acto knives and glue. My studio changed from the dining room table to a space in our unfinished basement to two rooms in a historic building in an old mill town to an industrial park and finally to a renovated barn.

All of this was hugely exciting. I loved polymer clay and being a part of the larger craft community in the 90’s. I still can’t believe I owned my own gallery for seven years. I was thrilled to be a “welder chick” walking into an industrial space and coming out with a life-sized giraffe. (Yes, I really did do it all on my own. No, my husband did NOT help me.) And I found it immensely satisfying to create my conceptual installations in libraries and college galleries. These creations prompted some amazing conversations and connections with the public that I will always cherish.

I turned 60 the day I installed my largest creation at Hood College in Frederick, MD. Retirement was not on the table. I had planned to continue my professional career until I was carted away in a box. However, after looking at both the physical and emotional toll it was taking on me, in 2023 I decided to retire from the professional part of being an artist . And before you say that professional artists don’t retire, I can assure you that this one did. I was not, however, going to stop making art.

It took a long time to stop thinking in terms of putting my work out in the public eye, to shut down all links for residencies, show applications and slide registries. Everyday I wondered what I was supposed to be doing, who I was going to become. Then clay found me. And once again I jumped into another medium, one that I have always loved but didn’t have the patience for. One that requires time for dialogue, for intimacy, for honesty.

The tempo of my life has changed, the delight in learning the ins and outs of another medium hasn’t. So while I was reinventing myself in the studio, I decided to rework this website to share my artistic journey and all the different media I have been blessed (and stubborn enough) to explore. Some were more successful than others. But they all helped me to be a better artist and better person.

And to all the great people I have met along the way, my immense gratitude and love for the support, kindness, fascination and delight you have expressed about my work. I hope I made your world a better place in a very small way. And because I am still an artist, I invite you to keep following me on instagram and facebook to see where my journey takes me next.