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Metal Arts Guild of Georgia
Visiting Artist
My work is an homage to the rocks and the mountains – a way to stay connected to the important things in life.
Born and raised in Taos, New Mexico, I grew up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. My jewelry journey started by working during the summer for my uncle, master goldsmith Phil Poirier. I went on to study photography and then built custom furniture for five years. I got sucked into the endless work, struggling to find balance between my love for climbing and the outdoors, and my creative work. I found my way back to metal while working part-time for Bonny Doon Hydraulic Presses. Using this background in machining, die making and hydraulic forming I created my first line of jewelry in 2011.
In 2014, after a few years of making furniture and jewelry, but struggling to balance my love for the mountains, I had a pivotal change of thinking. Instead of seeing my two passions as separate, I asked myself:
"What if I combine my passion for making art with my passion for climbing and the mountains? "
One day I wrote in my sketchbook, "CHOOSE ADVENTURE"
Since that day, I have been on a journey to bring these aspects together in my art. Everything seems so simple and peaceful in the mountains and my art is an exploration of bringing that into our daily lives.
I've spent the last 8 years learning, experimenting, innovating new techniques, pushing the limits of tools and machinery, and gaining skills to be able to create the work that I do. It's taken sacrifice in many other aspects of my life, but I'm a dirtbag for my art, and proud of it.
Whether it is the subtle details of the texture of granite, the effortless flow that only a hard climb can force us to find, or the amazing views from a summit, the inspiration offered by the mountains, and the rock we climb on, is endless.
I want to capture the experiences we have outdoors and then bring them forward as mementos, to be savored in all the other moments of our lives.
Everything is made by me and an assistant, in my small studio, in Taos, NM. I work with American-made machinery and tools. All materials, like stones and metal, are from the best, recycled, as local if possible, and always eco-friendly sources.
As of 2022, I am also the owner of Bonny Doon Tools, working with my jewelry making experience to continue the legacy of innovation in Hydraulic Presses and Tools for the Jewelry Industry.