Member Profile

My jewelry has been described as quirky and fun. If possible, I try to incorporate a sense of irony or a pun into my pieces. I love explaining what a material is, how I prepared it, and it’s story. The best words to describe my style would be colorful, playful, and conversation starting.

I combine non-traditional materials with metal working methods to create my pieces. My current interest is in using tumbled glass and plastic gift cards. To create the glass, I break, saw, tumble, grind, and/ or drill discarded glass bottles, dishes, and vases. Although this method creates an object similar to sea glass, it does not have the tell-tale unevenness and pitting that years of tumbling in the surf creates in real sea glass. The plastic cards can be cut, carved, and formed in the same manner as metal. I use a variety of metal working techniques including bezel and prong setting, wire wrapping, reticulation, riveting, and hydraulic press forming.

I don’t remember when I first became a Guild member, but I am sure if was for a workshop in the early 2000s. In 2017, I became a lifetime member because I kept forgetting to renew my membership. Around that time, Mary asked me if I wanted to be the Guild historian, which has been fascinating.

I have been a part of the Guild’s booths at the Ann Arbor Art Fair and the Palmer Park Art Fair.

I am a serial hobby-ist: drawing, sewing, knitting, gardening, film photography and so on. Lately, I’ve started playing Pickleball and dang if I don’t love our latest pet, Dug, a Bearded Dragon.

I have a ‘day job’ as a Human Factors Engineer at the Toyota Technical Center, where I do research on the behavior of drivers, in particular, young, novice drivers.

I share my house with my supportive and tolerant husband, Wallace and Gromit, (a Great Dane and a Jack Russell, respectively), and Dug. This is our first year as empty-nesters, as we have 2 children in college.