dandelionblu

I can remember painting seashells and selling them to neighbors on the side of the road. The best were shells that had holes in them so I could make necklaces. My Grandfather was a jeweler, I had a Great Grandmother who was an outstanding artisan wood carver, and my father is a landscape designer, so creativity is genetic it seems.

In undergrad I majored in photography and creative writing, but somehow always seemed to be making artist books and more sculptural objects. I started teaching black and white photography at UMCP while wrapping up my degree at UMBC. I taught at several different schools and art programs once I graduated, and then started my own business shooting weddings and events. That same year I took a job teaching photography at the high school level and got accepted into MICA's MFA program for photography and digital art. The following year I got engaged, bought a house that needed total renovation, continued with my teaching job, was shooting several events every weekend, and juggling grad school. Busy.


Between the teaching, my event photography business, and developing my thesis, I became very burnt out on photography. Once I completed my grad program, picking up a camera was the last thing I wanted to do. My thesis show involved steel frames I had fabricated and welded, and I became intrigued with metal working. I had always been interested in small scale sculptural jewelry, so not long after graduating from MICA, I returned to take some metalsmithing classes.


Fast forward 2 years and I am now enjoying working with enameling and metals. Color is very important to me, and as a photographer I worked with color extensively. I even painted my entire house specifically for my thesis body of work. I have since closed my event photography business, preferring to have my weekends back to work in the studio. I am currently still teaching photography and studio art full time. I started my etsy shop last year and am hoping to work towards being a full time working artist next year.


I mainly work with enamels and metals, but also have a line of jewelry with vintage beads. Today, I am living in my second house that is a total renovation in progress, with my graphic artist/musician/home renovator extraordinaire husband, and a menagerie of rescued animals. In my spare time I manage to squeeze in volunteering with Adopt A Boxer Rescue, and when I can, donating a portion of my etsy sales. Thanks for reading!

"The one absolutely unselfish friend that a human can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous... is his dog."

Post written by danelionblu