The Artistic Process

All of my jewelry and small sculpture has been personally conceptualized, designed and hand-made by me from the highest quality materials available. No molds or any other production methods are employed. Each piece is individually cut from the clay. Holes are made where embellishments will later be attached. When the clay dries, edges are smoothed and I begin painting with various colors of underglazes (liquid combinations of clay and metallic oxides). Once there are enough pieces to fill the kiln they are bisque fired to nearly 2000°F. Additional glazes are added before a second firing. Finally, I use special pens and ultra-fine brushes to apply an overglaze of 22K gold before a third firing. To achieve the desired result, some pieces are fired up to five times. The kiln cools overnight. When the work is cool enough to handle, I thoroughly inspect each piece. At this point some designs are masked and sandblasted which imparts a rich matte finish to the glaze surface. Select pieces receive various wires and beads including 14k gold-filled, sterling silver, patinaed copper and bronze, and semi-precious stones. I also add found objects and natural feathers. These processes and materials endow each piece with its own unique personality.