I have been involved with art and the creative process since childhood, in one way or another. I've always liked to bring a sense of balance, depth, and color to every aspect of my life and work. I started creating collages since I can remember and I still think that collages have been the theme of my life. For me, life itself is a collage of learning experiences, glued together by destiny and karma. (See some of my paper collages in the Image Gallery.)
Designing Artisan Silver and Gemstone Jewelry is yet another form of collage, where I can put together different energies and color combinations to create a piece of jewelry that is both beautiful and meaningful. Gemstones have a special significance for me, as I have personally experienced their subtle healing energies for many years. I like to infuse a deeper meaning and intention to my creations by adding the healing properties of gemstones and colors, along with sacred and ethnic symbolism and spiritual seeds and beads.
It has become a passion of mine to design with precious metals and copper because I finally found a versatile material to create copper and silver collages with. Precious Metal Clay (PMC) allows me to make 'wearable jewelry collages' with playful patinas, glass and gemstones, or resin and color layers, and to convey my artistic and spiritual concepts with the beauty of these metals. I find these 'jewelry collages' to be a perfectly simple wearable art form.
I was always drawn to the Hindu and Buddhist spiritual traditions and ethnic cultures. My spiritual journey includes Theravada Buddhism and Kundalini Maha Yoga, through which I have had the fortune of meeting realized masters to guide me on my path. I try to integrate some of the spiritual concepts I have learned into my jewelry and graphic design and to create designs to lift the spirit. I am an explorer of the mind and the subconscious, as well as of yoga philosophy and psychology, so my creative expression tends to include those aspects as well. I am currently in the process (albeit slow) of writing a book on healing to share my experiences in this realm, since writing is yet another love of mine... Check out the blog with my spiritual musings at You Are Your Healer: Spiritual Tools for Self-Healing.
My designs are not just about beauty or fashion. I have to resonate with the energy of a jewelry piece or the visual aspect of a t-shirt. It has to have some uplifting value or depth of meaning, not just be pretty or fashionable. I love the subtle power of gemstones and symbols, as well as the purity and beauty of copper and precious metals!
of Artisan Jewelry
