Metal work

My Great Grandfather was a metalsmith, my dad was a metalsmith (as a hobbyist), but I did not learn the art of metalsmithing until I was in my 20s. When I was young my dad taught me to solder and we made sculptures together. However, as I became older, I found myself following the path of photography rather than sculpture. Several years into my college degree I was reintroduced to sculpture through glass. Glass had become my biggest passion and in order to learn more about the material I had applied for scholarships to craft schools around the US. That year I received scholarships supporting my studies at three different schools. I was able to book the classes I wanted at two of these schools, but at Penland Craft School the glass class had been sold out. In Fact, most of the classes I wanted had sold out. One of the classes that was available was a Jewelry making course with David Jones, in the small metals department, and that was the one I chose. Fast forward nearly 10 years later and here I am, still creating jewelry today. I still use my Great Grandfather’s tools and have even used some of his unfinished work as inspiration for my own jewelry. Jewelry is small and portable, there is very little equipment that is necessary and anything that is necessary is relatively inexpensive. This makes it perfect for my small living and moving from country to country tendencies.