I was first introduced to art, like everyone else was, as a small
child. My first encounter with a potter’s wheel was at seven
years old. I fell in love with clay. I studied with artist Mary
Crosten, from the time I was eight or nine years old until I went
away to college at age eighteen. She taught color theory, composition,
drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture, as well as how to
keep a studio clean, keep the coal fire burning in the winter and
how to share art with others.
During high school I studied pottery and jewelry with Leonard
Dunning, along with other drawing and painting classes.
I studied with Byron Wilson and achieved a Bachelor’s Degree
of Fine Arts in Metal Arts from California College of Arts and
Crafts,
and a Master of Art in Metal Arts and Jewelry Design
at San Jose State University.
From 1969 to 1979 I won numerous awards for my jewelry. I went
to work as a goldsmith and jewelry designer in 1979. I ultimately
went to work in the jewelry industry as department manager of Design
Research Development and master model maker for a jewelry manufacturing
company in Dallas, Texas.
I came back to California in 1987 and freelanced as a model maker
for various manufacturers in the jewelry and figurine industries.
I worked for three companies doing the original art work, design
development, and execution of the master maquettes, as well as
developing my own line of small endangered wildlife sculptures;
Teenybeasts. I still keep my hand in the jewelry industry on occasion,
but I wanted to work larger.
In 1992 my husband and I took a foundry class; the beginning of
the idea that we could build and operate our own foundry grew.
We did our first pour in October 1992. The birth of Maiden Metals
came about, and I started the Metamorphosis series that is being
shown here along with other sculptures. I began working on larger
sculptures, and I have completed many of the first series “Metamorphosis” pieces;
there are a total of seventeen pieces completed. I
have begun work on the second series; horse sculptures;
three are completed and
three more are in progress, and I have started a group
of smaller nude figures; two are completed and more
are in progress. I have
most recently been exploring movement and emotion through abstraction.
It
has been a very exciting 12 years, developing the ideas
through the art. This is only the beginning.
