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Seed of Froote
"When I first discovered the gem world, I heard deep in myself a calling to express my creativity in a new way. I knew that my time as studio artist/designer was transforming towards a different direction; yet could not quite visualize what it was. I continued everyday to ask myself 'who I was as an artist/designer', but more importantly I began to ask myself simply what I loved. Everyday upon waking I began to ask myself 'what do I love today'. I suppose some could call it meditation, others prayer, for me I would visualize a large radio tower at the top of the world, sending out a wave message to the universe. I was currently living at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. I would listen or see something that elicited a quality of loving, not questioning its form, I began to develop a strong and quick recognition of what I refer to as the essence of the object. There was a quality of knowing that began to rapidly crystallize. It was at this moment in my life that I first discovered the 'stones'. My first visit to the 2005 International Gem Fair was exhilarating and overwhelming, as it was at this point I absolutely knew that my days of creating paintings in my studio was at a close. I remember walking outside for one last look at the sky and turning around walking straight to the gems spirit wide open, like a kid in a candy store picking out gems that had qualities of beauty that called to my heart. At this point I knew my life had changed forever, I pulled out my credit card looked at my friend who accompanied me to the fair and told her, "I am jumping in!" It's with this excitement and certainty I create my designs. It is with certainty I continue to experience others who wear my designs. I began to experience an alignment with my own feminine sensual appreciation, and found that daily celebration and gratitude of all that makes me female required adornment. I wanted to participate in celebration and stand in my femininity. I wanted to create something that could remind me of the beauty I feel within myself, in others and the tremendous gift that is called life. I wanted to create something that could be shared by others and that would remind others of the beauty they posses inside themselves, while simultaneously creating pieces that where reminders of the preciousness of the life we have on this planet. I feel that working with the crystals of our earth is a perfect symbol of the feminine. Inspired by my time in the South Pacific islands, the Island line celebrates the legends and the magic of this earth. I create sensual pieces that are a reflection of the beauty of the physical senses. It is a line that reflects the awe I experienced seeing the sky curving as it meets clear aqua waters. Spending time in the South Pacific islands was healing, rejuvenating and humbling. Each island reminds me of a precious earth jewel, delicate, vulnerable, luxurious, secret and magical. The water is mesmerizing, palest celadon, aquamarine and deep midnight creating a surreal patchwork of blues. Each island necklace is strung together by volcanic rock, the water inside each lagoon is alive with not only color, but with sharks, sea turtles, coral and schools of tropical fish. I created the Calypso line as a tribute to the aspect of femininity that seduces, captures and mesmerizes. In the Greek myth, Calypso held a lost warrior from a ship wreck, keeping him captivated on her island until he was finally able to reach his deeper emotions. This is what is referred to as the feminine aspect. These pieces are designed as garlands of the earth and ocean, of light and dark, of capture and release, of male and female. Wearing one of these pieces is always to feel the power of the feminine as it is reflected in the earth. It is what pulls you in and calls you to experience the magnetic aspect and polarity of the male and female connection. The regal traditions and rituals of the court inspire the Tudor line. To wear these designs is to embody the reverence of being in celebration. This for me is a daily ritual; to celebrate living on this planet, here as an embodiment of the feminine, of the wise and whimsical, of the magnificent and sublime. The Tudor line reflects the glamour of the Red Carpet. Like a ringlet of nighttime stars worn in decoration, the Tudor line illuminates the majesty in all of us." |