Throughout her life, she has been drawn to the texture and color of life. The bounty of the forest that surrounds her home provides ample inspiration for her art. It all started with a lost wax casting class in high school. She loved working with silver and carving wax, making rings and pendants. Fast forward many years later, after kids and careers, to a chance stop on a long trip across Nevada. She found herself in the Otteson family turquoise shop in Tonopah, NV. She bought a few ribbon turquoise cabochons, thinking she’d make something pretty. She had a brief lesson in wire wrapping at a local rock show. By the next year, and for the next 11, she demonstrated wire wrapping at the show, freely giving of her talent and love of gems and jewelry to her community. Her tools consist of her fingers and a few sets of pliers. She wraps with the intention of highlighting the beauty of the stone. Along the way she braved the torch and began doing some silver fabrication. Then she discovered metal clay. Metal clay takes an impression with a flourish. It can be shaped, molded, cut and stamped. Once fabricated a piece is dried and then refined in its greenware state. Next it is fired in a kiln, the organic component burns out, leaving solid metal. One of Kathy’s favorite processes involves firing a dichroic cabochon in place. She also imbeds some stones and sets others after firing. The versatility of clay attracted Kathy initially, but the way she can use clay to capture nature continues to inspire her. Wherever she goes, she is always looking for textures she can capture to set into clay. Ferns, flowers, bark and twigs all inspire her to create. Kathy’s work can be found at her website www.moonkissedcreations.com. She chose the name “Moonkissed Gem & Mineral Creations” because she was looking for a verb, a word describing action. Her work can also be seen at Mindpower Gallery in Reedsport, OR. Kathy is a member of the Alliance for Metal Clay Art Worldwide (AMCAW) and is on the Communications and Marketing committee. AMCAW’s mission is to promote metal clay art across the world, and to provide resources to artists. Kathy is often attending meetings in her pajamas early in the morning as there is a member from Romania and it’s 6PM in Romania then. Kathy recently entered her first juried artist challenges, “Flash and Fire” and “sea and Sky”. She also entered the Reedsport Centennial Celebration juried show. When not working as a family nurse practitioner in urology, Kathy can be found on the Umpqua River or in Mexico, fishing. Her favorite place is on the river, the breeze blowing in her hair and sun warming her cheeks. She and her husband Bruce are avid rockhounds, in fact, Bruce shapes and refines some of the stones she works with. She has children and grandkids scattered across the country, including a sweet young granddaughter who adores unicorns.
