Artist's Statement

I like winter best of all. There is nothing like a blizzard blowing in off of Lake Superior, which puts a twist on horizontal snowfall. I will take zero degrees to eighty any day.

Knowing this, and the fact that I was born with a "survival of the fittest" mentality, my keen senses assist in observing the daily dramas of nature.

My ideas come to me as visions or sometimes as a visual poem or prayer. Living in a place referred to as "Up North" where the backwoods has not changed much in the last 100 years is my great source of inspiration.

When I make jewelry, it is my way of story telling, merging my visions and giving my audience a window into the laws of life and the beauty of our Mother Earth.

The stones found in my work have been carefully and meticulously mined, hauled out on someone's back, and sold to other rock hounds who in turn cut and polish these unique wares. Some of the "rough" material is from old collections; pre-depression era and no longer mined. Others like the Fairfield Variscite is of museum quality and hoarded by collectors and cutters. Many are said to have metaphysical properties, but all have their stories of origin.

I belong to the American Crafts Council (ACC) and the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG). I also enjoy membership in the Superiorland Cross Country Ski Club, the Tri-County Snowmobile Club, the Moose Country Snowmobile Club, and the Bethany Lutheran Church, and I support the Donna Marlor Sports Nutrition TEAM.