I have a vintage soul. I love the individuality of found objects. They hold sweet memories of childhood, pleasant, homey, comfortable longings for a time and a place no longer attainable but through my imagination. I like my jewelry to be one of a kind, and evocative of that place in time long past.

Originally from California, I grew up as a Navy brat and now reside at the Jersey Shore. As a child, we moved every 2 years, so I've traveled a lot, have seen much culture, diversity, and have experienced things that others will never see. I think that lifestyle plays into who I am creatively, and how I see myself as a free-spirited, gypsy type of soul. I've always had to outsmart the feeling of being an "outsider" and make my niche. I've learned how to occupy my time when i didn't have many friends and that usually consisted of some form of art.

In my mid-twenties, I suffered a horrible, life-altering experience, when my older son, Tucker (then age 16 months), suffered a traumatic brain injury due to medical malpractice. Now age 20, he is 100% dependent on care from my husband and me. My despair, anguish and grief over this traumatic event is what propelled me into the art world and taught me to do the thing I love most, which is to create. My grief has been hard, but has also helped me embark on a new journey in life.

Making things as gifts and home decor led to displaying my work in art shows. It was at one of these shows that a woman put a name to my work: "altered art." I'd never heard the term before, nor realized that other people like to alter things. This was exciting!

From there I found art retreats and dreamed about attending them, but didn't. Then one day I mentioned one of them to my husband, who surprised me by saying, "You should go." So I did - and that was it - I was hooked! I began making online friends who were so similar to me, it really opened a whole new world to me. Slowly I have progressed from classes, to blogging, to etsy, many yahoo groups, a website of my own, and now teaching.

Also, I’ve twice been published in Belle Amoire Jewelry, and once in Altered Couture - both popular, internationally-distributed magazines.

My goal as a teacher is to support, motivate and inspire others. I’ve taught at Art-n-Soul in Portland, Art-is-You in Connecticut, Gilding the Lily in Fullerton, California, Art Opera in New Jersey, a soldering workshop series in Columbus, Ohio at Alley Beads, and at Art in the Rough (Navel Jelly Studios), Maine.

Lastly, I’m excited to announce that I am the newest design team member of Objects & Elements.com.

I'm in my studio every day and I consider this my full time job. Creating is a drug to me. It keeps me sane. I'm passionate about what I do. Through my blog, I've met many women who tell me I inspire them. This fills my soul with joy, that I, this grief-stricken girl, can refocus that sadness into inspiration and help other women. It brings me vitality, so I've come full circle.

I have a lot of energy. Drawing inspiration from my life experiences as the mother of a severely disabled child, I channel that energy into learning and creating art. Experimenting with "reclaimed discardia" results in many unique pieces of storytelling art. I like to be busy and am rarely ever idle! I also tend to get bored quite easily, so one day I might make jewelry, the next day do a mosaic piece, then onto a painting or an assemblage.

Rather than including a FAQ in these pages, I will share with you the question I hear most often from people who see my work: "Where do you find the different types of things you use in your work?" The answer is that I mostly go to flea markets and scour through lots of junk, looking for items that would be fun to use in jewelry. Sometimes I find something and it will cost me next to nothing. Other times, I'll pay a little more for something. In general though, flea markets are less expensive than antique stores.

Visit my blog to see what I'm up to most recently. You'll also find announcements of upcoming workshops and new pieces placed for sale in my Etsy Shoppe. If you're a Facebooker, I love to make new friends! Find me at Lemoncholy's Studio.

Artist Statement:

Creating is my key to another time. It unlocks the gate to my secret garden; my refuge. It takes me to another era where things were simpler and I find the process soothing to my soul.

Lemoncholy’s Studio began with my fondness for vintage items. Searching flea markets, I find items long forgotten, sometimes damaged, but still purposeful. They just need some love and attention. I want these found objects to tell a new story, have meaning and to be inspiring. I have a vision for them to begin again.

Intuitively, I combine elements in an enchanting way to provoke a narrative response that alludes to something we seek without knowing it. Often, it is a reminder of our childhood.

My jewelry is about craftsmanship and virtue but not perfection. By removing perfectionism, I free my imagination to play and, ultimately, this freedom results in whimsical pieces of grace and beauty.

I consider my art more "trouble shooting" versus technique. Usually I know how I want something to look and then I set about figuring out how to do that. I often do things the hard way. But what I’ve come to learn is that this search has resulted in my own unique look. I like to describe myself as an indie craftepreneur; a mix between crafter, artist, photographer and businesswoman. I tend to do my own thing, make my own rules and try to be eco responsible at the same time.