About Me...
I was born in 1964 and raised in Dade City, Florida. Aspiring to see the world, I joined the United States Air Force in 1984. I was stationed in California and completed my five-year enlistment in Turkey.
I returned to Central Florida and completed an Associate of Arts degree from Pasco Hernando Community College. I moved to Miami, Florida in 1992 and studied Fine Arts at Florida International University. I worked at the FIU Art Museum, was a member of the University of Miami glass blowing guild, and studied during the summer months at Penland School of Crafts. I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in glass from FIU in 1996.
After graduation, I moved to Ahus, Sweden and worked at Studio Glashyttan for a year. I came to Northeast Ohio in 1997 to study glass at Kent State University. I specialized in blowing early American glass while working at Hale Farm and Village. In April 2006, I co-founded and opened Akron Glass Works. And then in 2010, I opened Canton Glass Works after moving to the Canton area. I love the city's support of the fine arts, and I am very excited to be a part of this growing community.
Awards
2011 Art on the Green, Hudson, Ohio - Honorable Mention
2011 Art in the Park, Port Clinton, Ohio - Best in Glass
2011 Art in the Park, Medina, Ohio - Honorable Mention
2011 Youngstown State University, Best Individual Piece
2011 Domestic Violence Project, Canton, Ohio - Best in Show
2010 Canton Special Improvement District Award Recipient
2010 Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio - First Place in Fine Craft
2010 Delaware Arts Festival, Delaware, Ohio - Third Place
2010 Grove Port Arts Festival, Grove Port, Ohio - First Place
2009 Boston Mills Art Festival, Boston Heights, Ohio - First Place in Category
2007 ArtFest at Mount Union, Alliance, Ohio - First Place, Fine Craft
2006 Willoughby Art Festival, Willoughby, Ohio - Honorable Mention
2006 Salt Fork Arts Festival, Cambridge, Ohio - The Cool Beans Award
2006 Art on the Square Festival, New Philadelphia, Ohio - First Place
2005 Art on the Square Festival, New Philadelphia, Ohio - Second Place
2004 Salt Fork Arts Festival, Cambridge, Ohio - The Slabinski Family Award
2003 Art in the Park, Medina, Ohio - Second Place, Functional Fine Art