How did you get started making jewelry and sculptures?
While I was in college I picked up knitting and crocheting with my
roommates, which led to taking a fiber arts course. I was drawn
to making vessels and functional things rather than wearable
ones–I found myself often incorporating wire. Through a friend
I found out about Penland School of Crafts and coincidentally
Arline Fisch was teaching a textile techniques in metal course
that summer. It was my first time in a jewelry studio, but I
immediately felt at home. It was the perfect transition from
fibers to metals.
How did you choose your medium? I don’t think I have just
one. That’s what my line is all about–bridging my love for fiber,
natural dyes, and metal. It’s all about experimentation.
What inspires you? For me it’s hiking, getting out into the air–
city or country–antique and junk stores, road trips.
Who is your favorite jewelry designer? I don’t look at
contemporary jewelry often, but I appreciate the movement
towards cross-disciplinary jewelry. Designers working with
“non-traditional” materials–like Lauren Manoogian, SAMMA,
Jensen-Conroy, and Natalia Brilli. Jewelry doesn’t have to be
made from gemstones, precious metals, or beads.
Do you have a favorite historical designer that influences
you? In terms of historical jewelry, I love Alexander Calder’s
pieces–they are really just sketches for his larger sculptures.
Pretty much any Finnish studio jewelry from the 1960s gets
me too.
What do you like most about what you do? Being my own
boss, connecting with people, building a new collection every six
months or so… I’m never bored.
Where do you live and work? My apartment is in the northern
tip of Brooklyn, in Greenpoint. A five-minute bike ride gets me to
my studio in Williamsburg.
Where has your favorite place been to travel? My partner and
I went to Ireland four years ago. We rented a car–he drove a right-handed stick shift!–and we drove around the northern half of
the island. Miraculously, it was sunny the entire 10 days we were
there, so we camped a lot. There aren’t campgrounds per se in
Ireland, so we ended up asking locals, and sometimes they would
let us camp on their property. It’s so lush and green, and sheep
are literally everywhere. I’d love to go back.
“That’s what my
line is all about–
bridging my love
for fiber, natural
dyes, and metal.
It’s all about
experimentation.
If you could give a tip to an aspiring artist, what would
it be? Be disciplined, make something every day, and get off
the internet.
