About Me
I grew up in a household in which my talented mother was extremely
creative. She taught me to sew and do needlework, such as embroidery,
knitting, and crochet at a very young age. I used these skills to
supplement my income during college and graduate school.
After completing my Master's program, I began working as a Speech/Language Pathologist and have continued in this profession for almost 30 years. I started beading as a way to motivate high school students to attend speech therapy sessions. My students-male and female-began to show up on a regular basis. They started bringing their friends, too. The next thing I knew, I was holding beading clubs before and after school and during activity periods. It was a great way to work on social language and to ensure carry-over of speech and language skills taught in my program.
I have the best husband and daughter in the world. They are both artists. What I should say is they fit my image of an artist. They have the natural ability to pick up a pencil, pen, marker, or paintbrush and create natural works of art. Around them I felt untalented. I wanted to be able to draw and paint, too. I have always been able to come up with ideas but was unable to draw them out or adequately explain them, so I would just go into my studio and make the piece I was trying to describe. I found that I can create a garment or piece of jewelry that I can call "art." I now know that I am an artist, too-just a different kind. I don't create art on a canvas; I use beads or fabric.
I have tried to share my love of beads and fabrics, so I have also taught many of my friends and family members how to sew and create jewelry. Teaching sewing and beading came naturally since, after all, I have been a teacher most of my life.
One thing I found is that creating jewelry is addicting. I don't just stick with one design or medium. I enjoy all aspects of jewelry-making. One day I'm creating a piece from PMC clay; the next day I'm up to my elbows in gemstones. One of my favorite things is being able to custom-design a special piece for someone.
After completing my Master's program, I began working as a Speech/Language Pathologist and have continued in this profession for almost 30 years. I started beading as a way to motivate high school students to attend speech therapy sessions. My students-male and female-began to show up on a regular basis. They started bringing their friends, too. The next thing I knew, I was holding beading clubs before and after school and during activity periods. It was a great way to work on social language and to ensure carry-over of speech and language skills taught in my program.
I have the best husband and daughter in the world. They are both artists. What I should say is they fit my image of an artist. They have the natural ability to pick up a pencil, pen, marker, or paintbrush and create natural works of art. Around them I felt untalented. I wanted to be able to draw and paint, too. I have always been able to come up with ideas but was unable to draw them out or adequately explain them, so I would just go into my studio and make the piece I was trying to describe. I found that I can create a garment or piece of jewelry that I can call "art." I now know that I am an artist, too-just a different kind. I don't create art on a canvas; I use beads or fabric.
I have tried to share my love of beads and fabrics, so I have also taught many of my friends and family members how to sew and create jewelry. Teaching sewing and beading came naturally since, after all, I have been a teacher most of my life.
One thing I found is that creating jewelry is addicting. I don't just stick with one design or medium. I enjoy all aspects of jewelry-making. One day I'm creating a piece from PMC clay; the next day I'm up to my elbows in gemstones. One of my favorite things is being able to custom-design a special piece for someone.
I hope you enjoy looking at my "art." If you have a special piece in
mind and don't find it here, please contact me so we can make something
special just for you.