As a full-time artist and mama to two crazy wonderful boys, I draw on every wild force around me for ideas of how I want to be in this world. I believe creating is the most important act in maintaining a sane life. Making things shows me the pathway to balance and grace. I have been creating ever since my first cloudy memory and working in the medium of glass since 1995. Being self-taught, my influences are as varied as travel can be, taking in produce displays at markets, and hiking trails through mossy forests and over empty lava flows. Tempered by the volatility and purity of emotion, I use the inherently vibrant colors of glass to evoke a tapestry of contrasts. Fusing enables me to share my tumult and visions with the world.

I work in conjunction with my partner Kirk McLaughlin, who approaches things with daring and finesse, offers many fresh ideas and spills over with constant support. He toils in the midnight hours, listening to progressive talk radio and the Pixies, bent over a child's school desk with many small lights, in our studio with the sky blue walls.

Our fused glass jewelry catches the light, teases the eye, and when wearing it, you should be prepared for compliments.

 

It all started in the early 1990's; I made stained glass earrings and my stepdad came up with the name Ear Rigs which I thought was cute, rigging creations for your ears. Years later, I grew tired of the confusion with 'earwigs'--my least favorite insect. In 2000, when Kirk and I bought a kiln to teach ourselves to fuse glass, our studio was in the stairwell of our apartment. Our baby got glass slivers in his crawling knees, and we knew it was time to leave our yellow formica countertops and dark green pile carpet for a house of our own. We figured we could fuse our way into a house...if we appropriately named our business. So it became Fused Glass House, and today we're in it, our glass house, with a converted garage studio.