Artist Statement for Spring 07

The purpose of last semester's work was to make things and to work though designs and ideas through making things. I wanted to answer the questions: "What happens if I make a lot of things? What happens if I make a lot of the same thing? How will these things evolve? and Where will it get me?" "What happens if I . . ." became the driving force behind the majority of this work. Electroforming allowed me to rapidly work through and experiment with forms. Generating lots of forms allowed me to experiment with enamals and color.
I've long been interested in beads and how they can be used in conjuntion with metal. Of course beads have many negative connotations, and are only viewed as fine craft by other beaders. In the right hands, beads can be pushed to fine craft, a goal I would personally like to achieve, and last semester's work was a goal in that direction.
Electroforming allows the creation of very large, yet lightwieght pieces. For the rock necklace I wanted something large, with a lot of visual weight, but still wearable. When we see rocks, we have an expectation of weight, which the electroformed and enamaled rocks don't quite meet. Weight can also be a comfort, and dark, river stones can be soothing, both visually and to the touch. To wear the piece is to carry that sense of calm with you; to carry the river with you.