I started my life in an edgy little steel town with a large immigrant population in Youngstown, Ohio. Life in Youngstown was shaped by steel, and I have been left with the image of the nighttime sky glowing pink from the blast furnaces that ran 24 hours a day. It is this image that I have subconsciously recreated in my studio with my torch; heating, soldering, coloring, and melting metal, not quite 24 hours a day, but close!

I work mostly in copper using lead-free vitreous enamels sometimes for their colors, but mostly as a patina adding texture and an aged effect to my pieces. I like to take a hard cold piece of metal and turn it into something soft, warm, and organic. I continue my love of fire by torch-firing my enamel pieces, which gives my work an earthy, hearty feeling. I am attracted to using copper for many reasons. The total amount of copper on Earth is vast, and in addition to that, recycling is a major source of it in the modern world. Copper occurs naturally as 'native copper' and was known to some of the oldest civilizations on record. It has a history of use that is at least 10,000 years old. It is known as a good conductor of energy and is healing for the mind, body and spirit.

Growing up in the 60's and 70's, women's fashions were shown on models who were mostly tall, skinny and blonde; being Greek, short, and dark, I found that I didn't fit into this category and my work reflects that there is no stereotype for women to fit into. My jewelry is clunky, organic, fat welded seams, sensitive, and moody.Designed for someone who wants to express this with her body as an extension of their adornment. I like to think of it as working (wo)man's jewelry. Meant to be worn everyday.