​​For many years, I didn't know I had any crafty, or artistic inclinations. I studied philosophy, then taught it to college students. Then at some point, around 2005, I found out that being alive was for me less a matter of reflection, and more a matter of making things, useful or beautiful things - like a meal, or a lamp, or a plant stand. There is a physical immediacy in connecting with the world by working with concrete objects: in kneading a dough with your hands, sanding wood, or forging metal. A connection that doesn't happen through abstract thinking, reflecting on the world, or even impacting it in a way mediated by machines, or by others' physical work. That's why I love working with metal, using traditional metalsmithing techniques: it's just between you and the metal, sweating to shape it into your vision, (or changing your vision to suit the whims of the metal...), using only basic, minimal tools. 
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I am lucky to live in the Triangle area of NC, an area with a thriving artistic community, hosting several renowned master goldsmiths. I was fortunate to be able to learn from them, as well as to develop my own techniques and aesthetics through experimentation. Here is a sample of  metalsmithing courses I took over the years:
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​Jewelry Making with Mary Ann Scherr, North Carolina State University, 2011


​Flush Setting with Megan Clark, Pullen Arts Center, 2012


​Mokume Gane with Wayne Werner, Pullen Arts Center, 2013


​Synclastic Raising with Ndidi Enubia, Penland School of Crafts, 2014


​​Stone Setting Techniques with James Carter, James Carter Studio, 2015


Anticlastic Raising with Michael Good, North Carolina State University, 2015
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FELLOWSHIPS: Full Scholarship, Penland School of Crafts, Summer 2014