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My
great uncle was a world
renowned painter. I always
said he took all the talent
in the family and didn’t
leave any for the rest
of us. I can’t draw
anything even remotely
recognizable. My husband
is wonderful at rendering
beautiful pictures on
paper, so my children
figure I should be able
to as well. I remember
once when my youngest
son, Adam, asked me to
draw a rooster. My attempt
resulted in Adam making
faces and saying “Mama,
that’s not a wooster!”
Aaron, my oldest, was
all the while patting
me on the back, saying
“It’s ok Mama,
really it is.” Anybody
who has ever had the wonderful
luck of getting stuck
with me as a Pictionary
partner quickly resigns
themselves to the fact
that we will lose miserably,
but go down laughing.
When
Aaron was in pre-school
he came home one day with
some bees wax. Never one
to give up on me he asked
if I could make a cat
for him. With extremely
little confidence, I took
the bees wax and hunkered
down to my assigned task.
Much to everyone’s
surprise, the finished
product looked exactly
like a cat! We were all
astonished and I was as
giddy as a kid who just
learned how to ride a
bike. From that point
on, anything moldable
was fair game. I was the
first suspect when my
kids' playdoh went missing.
It may have taken me awhile
but I finally realized
that, although my drawing
ability is sorely lacking,
I can and need to work
and create in 3D. Everything
I make has to be able
to be held, and have a
weight and texture and
even a degree of warmth
to it.
After unleashing this
long denied gift my inspiration
came quite easily. I am
a strong believer in the
spirit of the earth and
am continuously amazed
at the natural beauty
of our home. To honor
my gift, myself, and my
home I often incorporate
natural “found objects”
into my designs. Many
of my silver pieces are
molded using real flowers,
leaves, lichen, seed pods,
and a myriad of other
things from my yard.
The
process of using my hands
and watching my ideas
take form is very meditative.
I’ve learned patience
as well as the ability
to recognize the beauty
of my “mistakes.”
I’m allowing myself
to learn new techniques
and accept the results
of my endeavors as all
contributing to my growth
as an artist. This is
something I never did
before because I let my
doubts and fears dictate
my actions. Now, however,
thanks to the faith and
persistence of my children,
I welcome the creative
challenges with joy –
even if accompanied with
the words “Mama,
can you draw a rooster?”.
EXHIBITS
MEMBERSHIPS
OF
North
Carolina Society of Goldsmiths
(NCSG)
International
PMC Guild
Durham
Arts Council
Magpie
Metals
Hillsborough
Gallery of Art
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