Artist Statement

I have always loved creating.  My earliest memory is when I was 3 or 4.  My dad brought home a Styrofoam block and together we carved a snowman.  Thus began my fascination with transforming the mundane into the unique!  I loved sewing clothes for myself and my dolls.  I made gifts for family and friends.  I enjoyed the creative process as much as the end product.

My desire to create jewelry began several years ago.  I started simply by stringing beads into colorful and interesting combinations.  Later, I began working with wire and metals.....cutting my own blanks and transforming them.  I loved using vitreous and liquid enamels.  The possibilities were endless when fire was added.

Over the years I have honed my skills taking jewelry classes and practicing new found techniques.  I have participated in several Artisan Shows.  Most recently I have taken Jewelry Zoom Classes.  I am now making unique pieces with steel sheet and fusing gold, silver, copper and brass to them.  My designs have been in the gift shop of the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California and the Boulder Arts and Crafts Gallery in the Pearl Street Pedestrian Mall in Boulder, Colorado.

My creations are always changing and evolving.  I follow yearly jewelry trends.  I create things that speak to me.  And I am inspired by my travels to other countries.  A love of color, nature and whimsy also comprise many of my designs.  My Lillie's Garden Galleries are a tribute to my mom who had the most charming cottage gardens when I was growing up in the Pacific Northwest.

I hope one of my creations will touch you in some way!