I am inspired by grandmother. She grew up in the Roaring Fork community in Gatlinburg, TN. She lived to be 94 yrs old and loved to make things. First, out of need then for joy. She was fantastic. I hand stamp metal and vintage flatware to make jewelry and gifts. I have some of my work in local shops in Clinton, TN where I live.

This piece is titled “Fear of Him”. It is about a time in my life when I kept quite about a series of situations in fear of what would happen if I spoke up. It is too common women are belittled by boys because boys think they can do anything they want. I think it is important to note that women are so much stronger than what society views us as.

I am a middle school art teacher and a meditation/mindfulness practitioner. Before college, I had only taken an art class in elementary school. I doodled the comics (mostly Garfield), did NOT draw all the time, and did not have an encouraging family to support my art curiosity. Somehow, I still went for it.... art school made sure to let me know how far behind in knowledge I was...especially during critique.