To learn more about my creative process and how I explore working with different types of material, you can check out my Process Journal. 

SOME OF MY FAVORITE MATERIALS

I work in a variety of singular and mixed media. Some of my favorites include: Metal, Vitreous Enamel, Wood, Paint, Paper Dye, Fiber, Polymer Clay, and Coated Wire. Here is a little more info about these magical materials that I so love...

Metal

A little known fact is that METAL comes in a much larger variety of color than most people assume. Not only are there the numerous ranges of gold alloys, but there are also tons of patinas that you can get on metals like brass, copper, and silver. 

Vitreous Enamel

For a brighter color pallet than the muted hues of metal, there is VITREOUS ENAMEL. This is a process of fusing glass to metal. Specifically, I use gold, silver and copper for these as a base and the glass is fused on at about 1500 degrees Fahrenheit in a kiln. It is tedious work, but the result is so good!

Coated Wire

Because fused glass isn't malleable, for the times that I want bright colors and mobility, I love using COATED COPPER WIRE. It does amazing things for texture and adds a bright, whimsical component.

Polymer Clay

And then there is POLYMER CLAY. Have you ever played with this stuff as a grown up? Me neither... I tend to mostly create colors and shapes when I am hanging out with my kids at the kitchen table. But that is what makes this material so much fun. Yes it is bright and colorful, but I can also just bake it in my oven, and presto-chango, hardened plastic forms.

Paint

Where would we be without paint? That's right, ACRYLIC PAINT. It is basically plastic that air dries, which makes for a wonderful and permanent mark on the world. Need I say more?

Earth Pigment Dye

But paint is paint. It is a cover up. A decoration, yes, but also hides the material under it. For the times that I love to see the materials come through, I use DYE. Sometimes I make my own botanical dyes, but the hours of effort, rarely hold for very long. Impermanence? Yeah that is a fun thing to explore. But for everything else, I like to use minerals and earth pigment. You know the things that come out of the ground like ochre and mica and such. 

Natural Fiber

What do I put this dye on? FIBER is one and wood is the other. Fiber art holds a special place in my heart. My younger years were spent hanging out a lot with my grandma and my great-grandma. My grams taught me how to knit, my great grandma taught me how to crochet, and between the two, I was baffled by all the amazing clothing they could sew. I would watch for hours as they cut intricate patterns and hand stitched details. So in my college years I took up weaving and finally in adulthood learned to operate a sewing machine. I love the textures you can get from fiber, especially wool, silk and cotton - there isn't anything like it, which is why it is still a fav. 

Wood

And speaking of favorites, WOOD carving is pretty high on the list. Nothing works out some aggression and angst like hammering a gouge through a hardwood. Well, maybe a punching bag, but I don't own one of those. When life gets crazy, I start carving.