My formal art classes ended in high school. That didn’t stop me from trying new things, though. Just before the silversmithing, I’d been trying my hand at carving stone. I did pretty good with soapstone (talc) and gypsum. I even carved a few pieces in amber and tagua nuts, but it still didn’t satisfy my need to “create”. Stone can be so unforgiving. One slip can take too much off the piece, resulting in a ruined carving.
I love to go to gem and mineral shows. When I was carving stone, I went to look for the perfect stone to carve, whatever that may have been at the time. At a show in Boise, I happened to see a silversmithing demonstration at one of the tables. I was hooked. The demo showed me that metal is more malleable, and much more forgiving, than stone. I felt that silversmithing could give me a way to use my artistic talents to create something with metals as well as stones—please check out my website to see my work. The folks who were doing to demo also taught silversmithing classes with the local recreation department. They are very nice people and I was glad to have them as my teachers. I still go to gem and mineral shows, but now I look for cabochons and faceted stones that I can use in making jewelry.
