My process of designing all jewelry and collectibles begins with some object or a flower that has captured my heart. I spend considerable time studying its parts and once satisfied that I can duplicate the structure of each part, I then make a metal model for each.

Once the metal model is made, a rubber mold is constructed around each metal part, and melted wax is injected into the molds. After it is made and touched-up, the wax model is attached to a "pour-cup", which is funnel-shaped to channel the metal into the mold from the outside, using "gates"or "sprues" made from rods of wax , and a venting system is made the same way to convey air and other gasses out of the mold when it is filled with hot metal.

The model is then surrounded with a material that will cover it smoothly when wet and withstand high temperatures when baked. A cylinder is placed over the wax rods and a high refractory material, such as plaster, is poured over the rod to fill the cylinder. Once the plaster mixture has set hard, the flasks are placed in a kiln, slowly heated to between 1000 and 1250 degrees F, and held at that temperature until all wax residues have disappeared.

The place where the wax was is now a void -- hence the "lost wax" designation for this process. The metal is then melted and the molds are filled with liquid bronze or whatever metal is being used. The flask is then allowed to cool, then the plaster mold is broken away, revealing the metal part, which faithfully reproduces every detail of the original wax. Silver, gold, aluminum, brass, or bronze may be used interchangeably with this method.

My jewelry and flower designs are composed of up to 30 individual pieces of cast metal which I solder together and paint with enamel. The baskets I place my flowers in are hand-woven from strips of metal such as brass, gold, or silver. Some of my collectibles, such as the western saddle and sleigh, I have carved finely chiseled designs into their metal. Many hours are involved in designing, fabricating, weaving and painting of each of these truly unique creations.