The art of becoming an artist
A life once defined by the movement of horses, now expressed through metal.
Throughout my career as a dressage trainer, motion was something I studied through horses: Their expressions, power, and at times, stillness. The equestrian world shaped my appreciation for rhythm and form. Over time, I found myself drawn to capture that same energy in metal, where movement could live in a different way. Not through motion itself, but through the suggestion of it.
At the heart of this transformation was one horse, my muse, whose essence continues to move through every line I create. He taught me to see not just anatomy, but emotion; not only his joie de vivre, but his grace held in suspension.
That understanding became the foundation of my art work.
Each piece I create begins as a flat sheet of metal, shaped entirely by hand through the ancient classical art of chasing and repoussé. Thousands of hammer strikes in an endless dialogue between resistance and release. What emerges is not simply ornament, but sculpture. It is a moment of expression, both alive and still.
My muse and Heart Horse
The one who taught me to see movement as poetry in form.
the art of becoming the work
My studio is where my experiences transform into art.
A memory or idea is sketched on my iPad, just a simple outline.
Each side of the metal is worked repeatedly in a specialized pitch, growing curves and volume with every pass. Sculpting metal hardens it, requiring flame to soften and relax the metal, allowing it to move further, to breathe. Details emerge slowly, intuitively.
Thousands of hammer strikes later, the piece itself reveals its name to me.
My work is an exploration of motion – how it exists, pauses, and lingers. The same rhythm I once studied in horses now guides my hand in metal. The balance of tension and release, the subtle arc of energy held in each line and curve.
Every detail, from the direction of a mane to the placement of a stone, carries intention. Every piece is a conversation between form and instinct. Each moment of motion entirely sculpted by my hand.
Becoming an artist has allowed me to suspend a moment in time – shaping it into wearable sculpture
Whether that moment begins as a memory, an idea, or a feeling, it brings me deep satisfaction to sculpt it into form.