Metalsmithing
Tears of Gold, 2026
16 x 6 x 8 inches
brass, resin, printed label
This piece explores the idea of weaponizing crying/tears, often used against women in moments of vulnerability. Each tear has a label embedded with words said to women to minimize the tears they express in times of distress, such as "don't be hysterical." The design of the headpiece is made to represent a muzzle, which is what happens when someone minimizes the pain that causes crying. The tears hang heavily from the crown of the head, over the mouth, preventing the wearer from being able to speak their truth. Conversely, using the color gold adds a weighted meaning behind the piece, signifying the importance and value of being able to safely express your tears.
Medically Induced Trypanophobia, 2025
2 x 8 inches
nickel wire
I spent years in and out of hospitals dealing with tests and treatments, and it left me with a total phobia of medical needles.
A lot of people find this confusing because I have plenty of tattoos and piercings. But getting a tattoo in a studio feels completely different to me. I’m fine with needles when it's for art or looks. The panic only happens in a doctor's office or a hospital. The second I have to get blood drawn or get an IV, I completely freeze up. It is a massive, uncontrollable fear that feels totally illogical from the outside, but it is incredibly real to me. The anxiety is so bad that I’ve actually skipped medical appointments just to avoid the needles.
To show what this fear feels like, I decided to make my own needles by hand. I used nickel wire to make basic sewing needles, since that is what most people picture when they hear the word. I cut the wire into two-inch pieces, filed the ends until they were sharp, flattened the tops, and drilled and sawed out the little holes for the eyes. Then I soldered all of them onto a flat piece of hammered nickel.
When you put this piece on, the sharp points press right against your neck. It forces you to feel an immediate, physical tension. That uncomfortable, trapped feeling is exactly what happens to me the moment a medical needle comes near me.
For this project, I wanted to create castings that could eventually become part of a larger sculpture about love, loss, and motherhood. These tiny pieces are cast from my daughter’s and my puppy’s actual baby teeth.
Teeth are something we are all born with and lose throughout our lives. When my daughter and puppy lost theirs, I saved them. It is a strange thing to do when you really think about it, saving organic material shed by a healthy body. If you ask me why I kept them or what I plan to do with them, I don't have a perfect answer. I just know that they are precious. I wanted to immortalize not only the physical teeth, but the idea that something so small and fleeting can be absolutely monumental to a mother.
The process of turning these teeth into bronze castings is arduous, but completely worth it. Below are photos of my process, and to the left are the finished pieces in my hand. Honestly, I am more in love with these than anything else I have made in my entire art career.
Deciduous Teeth, 2026
bronze
