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I was 18 years old, and needed to get a job. My father’s best friend, Ray, owned a McDonald’s franchise and needed an assistant. My job was to mingle with the regulars who came in every morning for breakfast and coffee, and Ray started teaching me how to do some basic accounting and bill paying. I’ve never been a math person. But as he slowly started teaching me how to keep his books, I became more confident and was excited to do a good job. I don’t remember what exactly I did wrong. But I found a sizable error, and knew instantly it was myRead More →

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I’ve closed my Etsy shop until August. I moved out of my studio in Vinton this month, and set up a small studio in my basement. And then, more life circumstances happened and I’ve closed it until I get back from my trip to the Southwest. I’ve been making metal jewelry for over 20 years. And in the last year, after many stops and starts, I’ve come to realize that I think I’m about done making jewelry to sell. It’s been an excruciating decision, but one that I think is right for me. I’m turning 60 next year. I feel like I’m on the precipiceRead More →

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I had my first class swimming with the big fish of the area watercolorists here in Roanoke yesterday. Am I ready to take this class? Probably not. I saw some work in there that I won’t be able to do for…possibly years. Or ever. But I figure if I’m able to absorb just a little of what I experienced in class as I continue to paint, then it’s worth being a small fish in a big pond. I know, from my experience making jewelry, that the only way to execute what is in my mind and marry that with my actual ability is time. HowRead More →

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I believe the most important aspect to uniqueness is curiosity. It supports uniqueness, or is the precursor to it, since it drives the interest necessary to differentiate oneself from the crowd. And I suppose if I dive a little deeper, I believe fear is what keeps someone forever in the tribe of mediocrity and common viewpoints. Curiosity about our fears teases out the conditioning that led to the fear in the first place, and if you face any fear with curiosity, then a unique viewpoint has the soil to grow– under the right conditions. I’m a self-taught jeweler, and started getting curious about fire andRead More →

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I have loved the look of pearls and silver since I first saw my cousin wearing a silver pearl ring when I was 13. She was long and blonde, 16 and from California. She was the most exotic person I had ever seen, and she was a surfer. When she arrived to my house from her California home late one night with her parents, I was surprised to see her on my living room couch. I remember studying her while she slept. She looked like a landlocked mermaid, and her jewelry had that California ease that looks like a person was born with their jewelryRead More →