I guess you could say that it all started the summer I was seven years old. As usual, I was spending it with my grandparents. One afternoon I made the “mistake” of saying I was bored, so my grandmother decided it was the perfect opportunity to teach me to do stamped cross-stitch embroidery. Ever since that point, I have done some type of craft-y thing — from almost every form of needlework, to pottery, to spinning & weaving, to basketry & dyeing, to bookbinding — I’ve pretty much done everything, except quilting and woodworking!
I started working with glass in May, 2005, after a half-day workshop as part of a “girls’ weekend away.” It was a revelation that you actually could play with fire and glass at home! I spent the next several years making beads, beads, & more beads. In March, 2007, after I realized that I really was creating more beads than I could use myself, I began selling them at one of the local bead shows.
Although I still work occasionally with “soft” soda-lime glass, my love is borosilicate, a.k.a. “hard,” glass. I am fascinated by its unpredictability and the wide range of color you can get from a single rod of glass, especially when you combine it with clear glass. Since I like to work “hot and fast,” as it were, boro suits my style perfectly. I have added off-mandrel pendants as well as tiny blown vessels to my repertoire, but it is still all torch-made.
I taught myself chainmaille several years ago, when I was looking for something to combine with my beads to create unique jewelry. Let’s face it, chainmaille is far more portable than flame and glass, so whenever you visit me at a show you’ll often find me working on a piece right there. Discovering the square wire rings that I use most often simply reinforced that choice.
Of course I keep wanting to expand my skills! I have taken metalsmithing classes with Kim St. Jean as well as exploring various techniques on my own to expand my repertoire range of offerings. Currently I am taking additional metalsmithing classes through the Metal Arts Guild of Georgia, where I am a member, with Piper Espey.
The best way to see the full range of my work is at the various festivals, markets, and cons, mostly in the Atlanta area, that I attend. Check the “Shop In Person” page to see where I’ll be next. I also have a small selection of items available locally at Vonda’s Hair Studio in Kennesaw. If online shopping is your thing, many of my items are online here in the Noctua Designs shop. I am always open to discussing custom projects as well — feel free to contact me if you think my style fits your vision!