Marriottsville, MD
Withered pods, clinging flora, and insect exoskeletons—nature’s discards ignite my artistic passion. I do not take life; my work begins in my own garden, where each year I witness the full cycle of birth, bloom, and inevitable decline. Seeds push through soil, bear fruit, wither, and return again as seed—an arc that mirrors human experience. Empty pods remind me of women’s quiet labor to carry, release, and endure, while insects live out their small, intricate dramas and, once lifeless in the grass, become part of my process.
I gather only what nature has already surrendered—fallen petals, dried seed pods, brittle leaves, and delicate exoskeletons. These remnants hold the dignity of endings. Working solely with what has completed its life cycle allows my practice to avoid harm and waste, grounding it in respect for the natural world and its rhythms.
Through electroforming and casting, I preserve these fragile materials as though performing a ritual of farewell. My work is less an act of fabrication and more a kind of memorial—honoring the transient, the overlooked, and the forgotten. I often think of myself as a caretaker for fallen flora and fauna, granting permanence to what nature has relinquished.
Witnessing their transformation feels like rebirth. From what once was, something new emerges: fragile beauty becomes enduring form. Metal captures the delicate textures of decay, turning what is ephemeral into something lasting. These works become more than adornments; they become meditations, invitations to pause and look closely. They echo cycles of women’s lives, of natural rhythms, and of the quiet interplay between growth and decline.
Ultimately, my art is a contemplation of impermanence. It reveals that even in death, a quiet splendor remains, and even in decay, there is renewal. By honoring these remnants, I invite viewers to reconsider where beauty resides—not only in life’s vitality but also in its soft fading, its empty spaces, and its inevitable return to the earth. Through this practice, I celebrate beauty without destruction, sustainability within impermanence, and the quiet grace of letting go.
