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MOST OF US HAVE A STORY, THIS ONE IS MINE......
I have always passed the time finding unique pieces, from unique people, and pride myself as being a collector of all things handmade. After Hurricane Katrina, I found myself with nothing... no home or job, displaced family and friends, all of my art destroyed...and the list goes on and on. I had once surrounded myself with things I loved, and in an instant they were gone.
Feeling a little crazy and being a painter that used found objects, I went to my destroyed home in New Orleans and began taking off door hinges, copper pipes, and basically anything metal. We rented a truck and drove it to my parent’s home, where we were staying, and unloaded a truck full of salvaged furniture and collectibles. As I looked at what was left of my belongings laying in their yard, I wanted it all gone. My family urged me to keep it, so we cleaned what we could and stored the rest for further restoration.
Several years later I was ready to go through those stored boxed and create again. I had been painting but wanted to do something different. In an effort to regain some of what I had lost, including my sanity, I decided to refurbish my jewelry collection using those pieces I had salvaged from my home. One for therapy, and the other for lack of being able to replace what was lost. I entered my studio in Nashville with a totally new direction…and a new love began of making art out of found objects. I felt like me again, something I had also lost with the storm. Over the years, my love of recycled metal has evolved and expanded from jewelry and paintings, into sculptural wall and mobile hangings. My work can be seen in galleries across the country and viewed on this site.
It seems as though I am back to where I started…hopeful, happy and doing what I love. I hope those who patron my work will feel, as corny as it sounds, the soul I put into each piece. Each piece has a story. One you might never know, but can imagine and feel good knowing it has a happy ending.
We all have a story, this one is mine.
I have always passed the time finding unique pieces, from unique people, and pride myself as being a collector of all things handmade. After Hurricane Katrina, I found myself with nothing... no home or job, displaced family and friends, all of my art destroyed...and the list goes on and on. I had once surrounded myself with things I loved, and in an instant they were gone.
Feeling a little crazy and being a painter that used found objects, I went to my destroyed home in New Orleans and began taking off door hinges, copper pipes, and basically anything metal. We rented a truck and drove it to my parent’s home, where we were staying, and unloaded a truck full of salvaged furniture and collectibles. As I looked at what was left of my belongings laying in their yard, I wanted it all gone. My family urged me to keep it, so we cleaned what we could and stored the rest for further restoration.
Several years later I was ready to go through those stored boxed and create again. I had been painting but wanted to do something different. In an effort to regain some of what I had lost, including my sanity, I decided to refurbish my jewelry collection using those pieces I had salvaged from my home. One for therapy, and the other for lack of being able to replace what was lost. I entered my studio in Nashville with a totally new direction…and a new love began of making art out of found objects. I felt like me again, something I had also lost with the storm. Over the years, my love of recycled metal has evolved and expanded from jewelry and paintings, into sculptural wall and mobile hangings. My work can be seen in galleries across the country and viewed on this site.
It seems as though I am back to where I started…hopeful, happy and doing what I love. I hope those who patron my work will feel, as corny as it sounds, the soul I put into each piece. Each piece has a story. One you might never know, but can imagine and feel good knowing it has a happy ending.
We all have a story, this one is mine.
