I grew up in Brooklyn, New York with an intense desire to “know things” and “make things”. In trying to make sense out of the world around me, I found my questions answered with folk wisdom, superstitions and a distrust of scientists and experts. I wanted real answers. I was drawn to science as the best way to figure out the “how” and “why” of things. After earning a B.S. degree in Geology, I moved to Utah in 1979 with my husband Dan who had been hired as the paleontologist at Dinosaur National Monument. Moving from 1979 NYC to 1979 Jensen Utah was more than a move of 2,000 miles. It was a move of 100 years – back in time. My move was as much a cultural shock for Jensen as it was for me. I enjoy the rural lifestyle, vegetable and flower gardening, birding, hiking, and fishing. I absolutely fell in love with Dinosaur National Monument. My artistic endeavors began at age 39, when my one and only child was born. I experienced a desire to express myself in art. Seeing a world of all possibilities open for my son, I saw new possibilities for myself as well. I started a small business making scientifically accurate fossil replicas for sale at souvenir shops, museums, and in the online marketplace. Eventually I branched out into sculpting and casting dinosaur skulls and small-scale skeletons. More than a decade later another life event spurred me onto a different path. A diagnosis of advanced stage cancer and successful treatment left me changed and eager to try something new. I wanted to work with metal, specifically copper, and to make jewelry. In addition, I wanted the jewelry to have a science theme – to promote and celebrate science – our best connection to the real world and the thing that made the world real to me.
I want my designs to have meaning to those who buy it. I want to use my passion to appeal to their passion. I work with a variety of media – metal, resin, hydrostone, stone, photos, glass, cold cast bronze etc. Acid etching is a technique I found that works well in adding the fine detail needed for science designs. In addition to jewelry I make what I refer to as Art Blocks. They are etched, colored and formed metal pieces affixed to wooden art blocks sometimes faced with micro-thin slate.
The metal I work with most is copper. I love the look of copper. I love how it is can be formed and manipulated yet retains its own character. The copper is a collaborator on the piece. One thing I’ve learned from working with copper is that each piece of copper adds its own individuality to the design. The copper will create its own pattern when immersed in the acid, from smooth and flat to streaky or bumpy. The texture you want has to be coaxed out of the copper by the way the design is textured and etched. The color of copper is also very changeable from bright shiny metallic to a warm golden honey color or a deep rich brown. As colors deepen it is as if the piece is evolving over time. My designs are drawn digitally and transferred to the metal using acid resistant ink in a heat press. The metal is then put into an acid bath (technically a corrosive salt, not an acid) for a period of time, from minutes to hours. After neutralizing the acid and cleaning off the resist, color is added and the metal is shaped. Then the piece is finished and polished. Color may be ink, patinas, waxes, paint or stains depending on the piece. The final step is the application of several coats of sealant followed by microcrystalline wax.