b. 1945, Washington D.C.
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Kamm Teapot Foundation, Sparta, NC
Deena and Jerry Kaplan
Leslie and Bruce Lane
The Teapot Museum, Sparta, NC
B’nai Tzedek Synagogue
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2007-08 Hot Tea!, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2006-07 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2006 James Renwick Alliance Auction, Washington DC
2005 Art of Tea, Rockville Arts Place, Maryland
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I have been interested in the arts and involved in crafts throughout my life. In the 1970’s, I designed handmade one-of-a-kind handbags constructed with tapestry fabrics, antique lace, buttons and jewels, upholstery trims and ribbons. As I worked on the handbags, my eye became open to color, line, texture and design. My handbags were sold in craft galleries on Madison Avenue as well as Soho in New York City
In 1985 I became the co-owner of Renaissance Fine Arts Gallery in Bethesda, Maryland. After ten years, I left to pursue my passion…the creation of art. I began experimenting with beads and made my first beaded box in 1997. I developed my technique of beading without any formal training. Each project was and is a creative lesson.
I was commissioned to create beaded works for many of my previous gallery clients. In 2002, I completed a commission for B’nai Tzedek Synogogue in Potomac, Maryland, which represents the twelve tribes of Israel on the temple ark. This was a life-altering opportunity that forced me "out of the box" and taught me that I was capable of working on a larger scale.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My original technique manipulates beads into a composition that tends to read as a mini-mosaic. The visual experience is at once about light, color, texture and form. I am both painting with beads while at the same time sculpting the beads into the desired form. I try to vary the types of seed beads in order to enhance the contrast, shape, and movement. When I am at work, my beads seem to come to life with a voice unique unto each creation. Beads offer boundless possibilities. Working with beads gives me an inner quietness and peace unlike any I have ever known.
Materials Used
I select a ceramic armature that offers interesting dimension and form. Then paint is applied onto a ceramic armature. Glass seed beads (both new and vintage) are then glued using surgical tweezers, placing each bead individually by hand. Various larger bead elements are used for the legs and tops. Ultra-suede and fiber trims are used for finishing bottoms.
Inspiration
Teapots for me are a connection to my beloved British Grandmother who lovingly served tea for any and all occasions. I view the teapot as a vessel that holds the essence of the maternal: the nurture and the love.