I love spending my time doing stained glass (20+ years), cross-stitching (25+ years), knitting (too many years to count) and reading. Approximately nine years ago I discovered the art of jewellery design and have since then struggle to divide my time amongst all my hobbies! It is after a vacation to the Gaspé Peninsula that I discovered that I loved being able to pick up a stone in its rough state, cut and polish it and then set it into my own design. I love the challenge of working with different materials and using a variety of techniques to create my pieces. It is so refreshing to spend time in my studios cutting stones or glass, sawing silver or copper and creating a piece of wearable art.
I am a member of the Tumbleweed Lapidary Club of Edmonton as well as the Ottawa Lapsmith and Mineral Club in Ottawa where I continue to learn about different minerals and metals and how to manipulate them to achieve the pieces of jewellery art I am happy with. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to study under the tutelage of Marilynn Nicholson, a professional silversmith from the Taos School of Metalsmithing and Lapidary Design in New Mexico in February 2014. Thank you for taking the time to check out my different galleries. Gisèle |