Perhaps it is a side effect of my own birthdays piling up, but I have come to believe that real beauty is rarely found in the flawless, the uniform, or the perfectly ordered.  My eyes and spirit are drawn to faces -- young or old -- that bear evidence of having known challenges and come through.  Often there are scars, lumps, or wrinkles -- inside or outside -- but if we are lucky, we gain a little insight and empathy on the way.  

I am also inspired and intrigued with our connections over time and space, all across the globe.  A piece of dinosaur bone or fossilized coral is a direct connection to an era before humans.  Lapis lazuli connects us to the master painters of the Renaissance using this stone ground into the pigment ultramarine -- a rich brilliant blue that was sometimes more expensive than gold.  Coral and turquoise connect our thoughts to the First Nations in the American Southwest, shaping stones into objects of beauty.  Rocks from a river bed in the upper midwest blending in color and harmony with stone from Africa and China, time and space transcended in a new mosaic or pattern.  

Often I will name my work for the music that seemed to play in my head as I the piece came together.  Always my studio is full of music.  I like to think that a few of the sound waves are remembered by the stone and silver to share with the wearer from time to time.  

I hope you find joy, affirmation, and maybe a bit of imperfect beauty in my work!