Reflections on 2021

Over the years I have slowly shifted my attitude about the long dark winter at the start of the new year. The end of holiday festivities, the dread of the seemingly endless cold, and the fleeting sun can all feel so oppressive. Instead, I'm trying to appreciate all of nature's cycles, and using winter to reflect, recharge, and make new plans.

In the last year I started to shift my making into a more exploratory direction. If an idea came into my mind, I allowed myself to be playful. Snakes and prong settings are the two things that really stand out for me in this past year of making. Snake imagery is of great interest to me and rather than get stuck in the trap of needing to design the perfect piece to execute, I just played with different styles and ideas. Similarly, I got really excited about oversized prongs on big cabochons and just let myself chase that excitement. The results are some of my favorite pieces!

Looking ahead, I've started exploring wax carving and hope to have at least a few pieces cast in the coming months. I'm also excited to introduce some gold bezels for some special stones I've collected. I hope you'll stay tuned to see what this next year of making will produce. If you haven't already, I encourage you to join my newsletter group to see new pieces before anyone else!