Well, first thing to know is that I am not much of a writer! Talking one on one with you, man, you'd find out anything that you could possibly want to know about me. But asking me to write it down - yikes!

So, here goes nothing. I am a married, mother of two, software engineer. This alone could explain why it is that you don't see vast amounts of work coming from me. But I have this need-to-create streak, so right now, when the mood hits, I either sit down and cut glass, or I sit with my beads around me waiting for them to speak...

It is kind of interesting, in my youth I always thought I wanted to be an "artist" when I grew up. I was always doodling, playing with color and shape, not ever really "drawing". And I like to get my hands dirty, so I took lots of ceramics classes. Then somewhere along the line, the other side of my brain took over, and I became an engineer. An engineer who played in the dirt (I love to garden!), sewed, and crocheted. And collected art glass. I just love glass - the color, refraction, reflection, the frozen motion.

I moved to the Dallas area in 1995, and shortly thereafter found a local art glass gallery/retailer/studio and found that they taught lampwork. I took the class and loved it! Mmm, melting glass, pretty colors, creating beads which then I can turn into jewelry - how cool would that be? Only one problem - well, more than one problem - no real space to do it, two toddlers to look after, and I couldn't make a round bead! Reminded me of trying to throw pots, I could never quite master that centering thing, and without that, you have no pot! Without centering your glass, you just have a wonky bead! So back to sewing and crocheting for me...

Finally, in 2003, I found myself deciding to play with beads, and somehow found that eBay, of all places, was a treasure house of lampwork. And of fused dichroic glass pendants. Which led to my second ever glass class - fusing. Now this, I could do! My visions can become reality.