If you have been an admirer of my work since the beginning you may have noticed the change over the last year. Let me explain. My glass and copper pieces were made by covering the birch panel with copper, hand cutting the glass, foiling each piece, and soldering it onto the copper. This technique was taught to me by Cathy Claycomb and I ran with it. I loved how my work looked. I was thrilled with my outcome after every single piece. I did however, struggle with the patina process, as most of you told me you loved it and didn't mind, I felt obligated to figure out how to keep my work as I created it over time. I loved how a piece originated and I didn't want it to turn. It was a personal choice and as the artist, I was going to figure it out. I struggled for years trying cleaners, scrubbers, covering in resin, everything I could think of. Then it happened, it was my water. There was some mineral in my tap water that was making the change happen no matter what I did. After this brilliant discovery I replaced tap water with distilled, then doing a resin pour and viola, no more patina. I was ecstatic and life was great. Then............. I got sick. After testing with several doctors, a hair test showed dangerous levels of lead in my system from all the soldering. I had two choices. Stop creating what I loved or find a new way. I was devastated, I experimented, tested, explored, searched, researched and then it happened. I found it. My own technique reinvented into something beautiful. Not more beautiful than before, but not the same either. Earlier work and new work do compliment each other, so if you are an early collector you can still add to your collection. I LOVE what I do, I have the best job in the world. When your world is threatened you do not walk away, you fix it. I must say that when I resin in the evening, I can not wait to go into the studio the next morning and look at the result. I'm over the moon every time.
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