Inspired by History, Myth, and Magic…
As far back as I can remember, I’ve been enthralled with the scandalous bits of history - the clandestine love affairs, the illegitimate heirs, and more specifically, the revolutionaries, the mutinous, and the misunderstood. The peasants, nobles, clergy and monarchs - no matter the class - whose boldness fought against the chains of tradition. The dreamers of myth, the weavers of folk tales, and the conjurers of legend have all shaped my psyche and my creative spirit. And so here is where our story begins…
I was raised in quite a strict religious home (you can see where this is going, right?) and we had a children’s illustrated bible story book. Tales of wives turning to pillars of salt, men struck down with boils, and plagues sent to wipe out the non-believers. Scary stuff, eh? One of my favorite tales from this book was that of Jezebel - the Phoenician, Ba’al-worshiping, sinful queen that was thrown to her death from a window to the dogs below for them to feast upon her bejeweled flesh. I was entranced by the picture that accompanied the tale. As much as my poor mother tried to tell me what an immoral vain creature she was, I couldn’t help but find her, well, pretty. The jewelry, the heavy eye makeup, the seductive lipstick, the luxurious purple robe…the cleavage! What a woman! I wanted to be that kind of woman. Ever since, I’ve been accused of loving gawdy jewelry - large, attention seeking statement pieces. Guilty as charged! You won't find any dainty stud earrings or modest pendants here in my shop. My love of classical art and of all things beautiful, old, and decaying inspire my work. Patinas on old statues and rust on old metals. Cracked and flaking oil paint on old canvas. Abandoned castles. Wrought iron fences. Moss covered stones in the abbey ruins. Dried flowers with thorny vines lain atop an ancient grave. The shadows cast by headstones in the cemetery on a cold and stormy day. Dust and cobwebs in the corner of an old library. Victorian Widow’s Weeds and black veils. The lost and the found. The salvaged and the forgotten…
All of the pieces I create are one of a kind, some created from salvaged pieces from estate sales, flea markets, antique stores and thrift shops. Some are created by resin casting in molds made from antique architectural pieces. Metal coatings and patinas are a large part of the finishing process for me, and decoupaging images from old, ruinous art and history books are a common theme. Aesthetes and lovers of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Gothic, Rococo, Art Nouveau, Romanticism, or Neoclassical art and adornments will find a seat here next to the window with me. I’ll be the one dressed in purple robes and heavy eye makeup, casting spells of enchantment with my gaudy jewelry.
