My practice is built on paradox and contradiction.

First, despite my social reticence, I am irresistibly drawn to projects involving collaboration or third-party participation.

This Too Shall Pass, 2011 – ongoing

And second, despite my avowedly anti-consumerist stance (enough stuff, already), I am also driven to make…stuff.

Drawings for jewellery (2015)

Brooches (2015)

Me and Handshake – so far

Being part of the first Handshake project was a transformative experience for me. Before the project began I’d overdone it in the workshop and injured my hands, and my jewellery future looked bleak. However the Handshake exhibition schedule allowed for no down-time, so from 2011-13 I developed a series of conceptually-based projects which entailed minimal making and where the jewellery often served an idea that extended beyond the gallery.

Iris Eichenberg mentored me with generosity; in particular the 5-weeks immersion in her masters’ program at Cranbrook  will continue to inform my work for years to come. This interlude also exposed my craving for a learning-focused collaborative environment and sowed the seed for the shared project space/crit group OCCUPATION: Artist.  Since 2013 O:A members have supported eachothers’ professional development, exhibited widely, travelled to masterclasses and conferences, and hosted local and international artists in the studio.

My plans for Handshake 3

For 2016-17 I plan to focus on consolidating my making practice alongside my more conceptual work. Thrillingly, Liesbeth den Besten has agreed to collaborate for the Objectspace show, and we are both excited to find out where this will take us.