The journey begins…

It’s Spring!  Or at least it felt like it this weekend.  A perfect time to start my new blog.  Now that my home studio is up and running, I want a way to stay connect to the art/craft community.  I want a place to talk about my inspirations, ideas, influences, and in general about my journey toward becoming a full-time artist.

Right now I’m working part-time on my jewelry and metalwork and part-time in “the real world.”  It’s been a round about path, but I feel like this past year has really turned me in the right direction with my art.  I’ve been in a bunch of exhibitions, Radius Gallery in Harrisburg now carries some of my work, and I participated in the Radical Jewelry Makeover (RJM) in Lancaster.

RJM really gave me a kick start for my motivation.  Working under a set of specific restrictions pushed me in new directions.  The whole project made me think about my materials in a more meaningful way.  It’s a project of Ethical Metalsmiths that reuses donated jewelry to create new pieces.  The crazy thing about it is that Christina Miller, the organizer, is the daughter of friends of my parents.  We both became jewelers independently of one another.  I heard about her lecture from my parents and decided to go to check out what she was working on.  Just another strange coincidence in my life.