What is Blue Blood Metal?
I think of my jewelry as pieces of the past that have been given a second life. I believe that each piece had a memory for someone and will continue to hold new memories for the person that wears it now.
At a young age, I collected buttons and was fascinated with their intricacies. Mixing them with new metals gives me a way to breathe life into them as wearable art. I am endlessly fascinated by details, texture, and metal combinations. I believe art itself is within everyone and everyone has the ability to find beautiful forms that inspire them. In my work, I value our past, our present selves and hold on to that connection. This allows me to stay rooted but also progress.
I have always dabbled in drawing, oil painting, acrylics, stained glass and beading. As a child I made my parents convert my closet to hold my arts supplies and not my clothes - thanks Mom and Dad! In Florida I worked in Development and Marketing for the arts community so I was constantly around amazing artists and found them so inspiring. After a part-time job at a bead boutique, I took a second look at my buttons and realized how pretty they really were. These teeny tiny pieces of metal actually hold an unbelievable amount of detail. One in particular I wanted to wear as a ring. I tried many techniques to figure out exactly how I wanted it. After much wire wrapping, gluing and Google searching, I realized I had to learn metalsmithing. A move to Vermont prompted me to jump in and learn this new medium. I took a class with Rebecca Macomber, a talented artist in Burlington, and she taught me exactly what I needed to know and more!
