At the age of seven, I started taking oil painting lessons and I knew from that moment that I was an artist. As I got older, I continued painting and drawing until I went to The College for Creative Studies (CCS) where I changed my focus to Graphic Design (that’s where the money is supposed to be for an artist). After graduating and working in several Ad Agencies, I decided that it was too hard to
be creative on demand between 9 – 5 on weekdays. After being laid-off from Visteon in 2007, I started doing glass mosaic on the staircase in my home. After 7 years, and a few more lay-offs from various companies, my stairs were completed, and I found that I loved working with the broken glass scraps from a glass-blowing friend of mine from CCS. In 2013, I created a Large glass mosaic with a mirror for my Mother-In-Law for a Christmas present and that started my work with glass, mirrors, and swirls. I love using the swirls of color to create flow whether around animals or just as abstracts. My work focuses on Up-cycling objects that would eventually end up in landfills. I use scrap glass from various sources including broken dishes. The mirrors were all taken from bathrooms or other projects from family members. In my candle holders and hanging vases I use old jars, beads from broken jewelry, crystals from old chandeliers and even the wax is melted down candle scraps and crayons. My Light Catchers are chunks of the scrap glass that are too large to break and crystals from chandeliers. Only the copper and steel wire, the sealant on the wood frames (to make them weather resistant), and the caulking compound are new purchases. I also create room dividers using old closet doors adorned with glass, glitter and paint, basically whatever I have laying around my studio. I live in Livonia, Michigan with my husband Michael, two College aged children: Nicklas & Lizzie.