Geometals/Metro Decor
Blue Bell, PA

I have been working with clay, metals, and other materials for almost 30 years. From the beginning of my training at various art centers, there evolved an emphasis and a passion for color and texture – and the combination of these components. With metals, I discovered stamping, hammering, and milling. With the use of copper, various techniques of patina add so much to the piece. Using clay, I began to use these same stamping tools meant for use on metals, to create the same textures in this medium. Another thing I have been doing is changing the base of the clay color using special inks and oil paint pigments to get original colors. From there, marbleizing was another fun way to combine colors, to get a sort of kaleidoscope effect. Many times I will gild textured ceramic pieces with metal oxides to highlight the texture and create contrasts.
A recent addition to my line of work has been creating mosaics, both ceramic and working with vitreous and iridescent glass. Mixing acrylic paint into the grout to coordinate with the tiles is a must. Designs are drawn out on a piece of hardwood, then the tiles are glued one at a time (a labor intensive process), then a day later the grout is applied over the surface and spread out to cover everything. An hour of so later, most is removed from the surface. After the grout is mostly set, the main clean up can begin revealing what I had in mind from the beginning.
All of my pieces are intended to be used as wall art, functional and decorative or both.