I was born in Houston, Texas.  I discovered life during the six months or so every year with my grandparents in Paris, Arkansas.  As an adult, I've roamed a bit from Texas to Arkansas to Australia.  Since 2004, I've called NWA my home.  Art, in one form or another, has always played an important part in my family and my life.

Not long after I returned from Australia in 2004, my brother suggested I go with him to Little Rock to a glass bead making workshop.   I have been hooked on this process since.  One thing has lead to another and I am continually learning new designs and materials.  I like the whimsical and fun pieces as well as the more elegant and simple.

Most of the beads you see in my work I have made through a process known as lampwork. (The exception to this is in the bead embroidery pieces. The focal bead is mine, but the other beads are Miuyki glass beads for the most part.) In the lampworking process, glass is melted onto a mandrel, worked and designed, annealed in a kiln to temperatures in excess of 900F to add strength. Once they have cooled and cleaned, the beads are then put into a one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art. The skill of the artist is increased over years of practice and education. Working with glass is one of the oldest forms of art and has always facinated the artist and the consumer. 

Color is a huge part of what I do and one of my favorite things.  When working with glass, I usually have a good idea what I'm going to get as the end product but there are also many times when I pull the bead out of the kiln in total surprise at the end result.  My work is often the result of starting with a color or a shape or a finding what catches my eye.  I will sometimes start with a plan, but when I'm finished the piece has taken on a life of its own. 

I'm also an avid knitter, learning wire working, venturing into mosaics, would love to learn glass blowing and am a published author working on my first novel. 

While my work in glass is something I enjoy with a passion, I also find that the people who purchase my pieces are also passionate about many of the same things I am.  I believe there is energy to art and it attracts and creates energy of its own. 

Thank you for visiting my website.