My initial introduction to creating started many years ago with an introductory class at the Smithsonian in creative arts. I was hooked on all the possibilities and found myself ultimately working with fabric which I pieced to make wearable art. I wanted to see if I could use the same concepts of combining materials to make jewelry. Wood afforded me the same opportunity to play endlessly with color and texture. I love the idea of seeing a wood bead in a range of shapes, a handmade ceramic or glass bead, a vintage or acrylic bead or rubber tubing that I can then reinvent. I like not knowing what the finished piece will look like as I paint the beads and combine various materials. The playing is the pleasure.