Artist Biography

I told my mother when I was a little girl that I was going to be an artist when I grew up.  True to my vision I never swayed from that path and went on in later years to earn a degree in Fiber Art.  Although I love weaving and creating off loom pieces, I find the time to complete a piece from the point of inspiration to the finished work to be too time consuming to hold my interest.

When I bought a kit and tried my hand at glass beadmaking seven years ago, I knew instantly that I had found what I was looking for.  I am primarily self taught from Cindy Jenkin's wonderful books as beadmaking classes seven years ago in Central Illinois were a little hard to come by!  Since my early beginnings however, I have had the opportunity to travel and take classes from fabulous beadmakers including Patti Walton, Lewis Wilson, Pam Wolfersberger and Donna Milron. I am also a member and frequent attender of the ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers) yearly Gathering.  Additionally I recently received a teaching certification from Art Clay, to teach classes in precious metal clay.

My beads were exhibited at Corcoran College of Art & Design in New York, May 2005, as part of the "Exhibit of Contemporary American Glass Beads".  I have also been chosen to make the commemorative bead for the traveling exhibition currently being planned by BestBeadArtists.org.

My favorite period in art is the French impressionist movement.  Both the colors and the floral landscape themes of artists like Claude Monet creep into my beads.  I love to play with color to try and re-create that same impressionist feel. 

I am also drawn back to my roots in fiber and enjoy creating new jewelry designs using crochet techniques.  Combining my beads with wire or various fibers pulls all my loves together.   With all the new "funky" fibers on the market today, I am having a blast!

Since opening a real brick and mortar studio and bead shop almost five years ago, I have discovered how much I love teaching both bead and jewerly making.  The beginning beadmaking classes are my favorite as the students are so excited by the "magic" of winding the glass and creating a bead.  It is very satifying to see a new student become skilled at making beads in a fraction of the time it took me to figure it out on my own! 

All the best,