Artist Highlight

"As an artist, I create with the oldest medium known to humans: Stone. Specifically, marble and granite. By sandcarving marble and granite tiles, I create low relief two-dimensional art forms. My etchings employ minimalist, linear, feminine forms, the softness of which, contrasts with the hardness of the stone. The tiles are decorative, and come ready to hang with a plate holder on the back. They can also be used as tiles are intended: Grouted into an interior or exterior installation.
Producing the tiles starts with the designing process. All designs are original in concept. My designs are influenced by my travels abroad, my interest in female divinity (or goddesses), and the simple line drawings of Matisse and Picasso.
After I have a design ready, I start with a polished marble tile and adhere a rubber resist to the tile. I then trace the design onto the rubber resist, and then stencil the parts I want sandblasted away. I then sandblast the tile, remove the rubber, and etch the detail of the design with a diamond bit.
When combining multiple colors of marble, as in my "windows" series and mirrors, I need to first cut the marble with my wet saw (a very long process!). The pieces are fitted together and grouted onto a piece of wood backing. I then proceed to sandblast and etch the design. Sometimes I choose to solder the marble pieces together, instead of grouting, using the copper foil method.
These unique processes have been self-taught, with a lot of experimentation! However, I owe my fine art training to my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and my marble knowledge to the Marble Institute of Colorado".