Engaged

I make, I feel, and I listen. Jewelry is a very intimate type of sculpture, an attraction to an object to be placed on the skin. I think of my pieces like thoughts or conversations with the materials. My thoughts lately are immersed in my fascination of felting wool. By choosing materials I am drawn to, my work is not bound to one material to convey my design. Through these materials small wearable sculptures are created that I hope engages the wearer as much as they engaged me during the creation.

Color, texture, material, process becomes the inspiration for my jewelry. The colors in the raw unprocessed wool bundles are like stripped taffy candy, and transform into streaks and bursts of color that comes out through working the material. Wool is a very alluring material, the tactile sensation on the skin is pleasant and comforting. Maybe it is familiarity or the warmth of wool that attracts me, or the lush colors and textures. The wool is compacted and felted with a barbed needle, the structure is reinforced and strengthened as the process is repeated. Felted wool has given me a completely new language in which to create my work. Every step of the process of felting is enjoyable and meditative to me.

My work is created purely instinctively, relying on my own aesthetics to guide my way through the making. Through these choices, a piece evolves on its own without restriction. I find this to be a very expressive way of working for me. Beyond these thoughts I do not place any boundaries or rules on my work. I hope the work engages you. I hope you are engaged.