ARTIST STATEMENT

I love the evolutionary transformation --- through hammering, persuasion, and struggle --- from a flat sheet of metal toward an object of unity and fluidity. I enjoy the paradox that “soft” and fluid-looking metal may have required extreme force and skill to be produced.

One of my favorite aspects of metalsmithing is that moment when it feels like I've just been given a gift. For instance, I unfold a clump of metal and it transforms into a sculpture. Or when I polish up a gold ring that began as green, blue, and purple wax. It's like receiving a birthday present!

In contrast, most of my metalwork involves long, labor-intensive processes, and extended conversations with the metal. It is important to be listening. I try to be open to new possibilities of design and form that are suggested by the work and the process.

The forms in my work have their roots in my gardens, and meanderings through the woods and along the water’s edge. It is difficult for me to take a walk without lining my pockets with rocks, shells, leaves, and twigs. These souvenirs fill the windowsills of my studio. In my work, the allusions to nature may be ambiguous so that each viewer may relate individually, as perceptions are filtered through a personal set of memories and experiences.

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