I wrote the following artist statement a few years ago and I still like it. Since then I got older and more sassy. I still love the thrill of creation and the warmth of connections between people and the jewelry I make. JN, 2024
Designing Jewelry...
especially silversmithing, is my second career. After a lifetime of work in higher education, culminating as Dean of the College of Professional Studies at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, I eased into the art world around 2000. I am now a full-time fine jewelry artist trying to make a business out of this bubbling passion.
This life shift dropped me into a student role again, adrift in the sea of things to learn and humble before those who preceded me. Learning a whole new field at my age brought me revelations, tears, and faint memories of youthful learning journeys. My teachers and mentors made my art possible.
I like shapes that remind me of life situations (my “Metaphors in Metal” series, for example), starkly simple shapes, and combinations that draw your surprised eye. I love contrast in form and similarity in color. Incorporating stones into metal designs delights me. I dream of new designs, smiling in my sleep. Most of all, I want each piece to intrigue the viewer.
I work in sterling silver, fabricating my own findings and using old-fashioned tools, as well as some time-saving modern inventions. I make my own connections. My home studio keeps me working all year without worrying about the weather.
When I emerge from the studio, I play tennis with giddy abandon, deal bridge with my laughing friends, read a Kindle while I walk the treadmill, volunteer, and waive an eco-flag over all I do.
I’m a full time, award-winning silversmith with jewelry being shown at galleries, museums and exhibits coast to coast.
I appreciate my customers whose admiration makes me blush.