The collection, The Legend of The Hawk and The Hare, explores the idea of control and its effects on our lives. My work aspires to question the validity of the concept of control through the creation of a layered narrative story which depicts my personal experience while serving in the military. Each piece in the collection is designed to be a clue that exposes the illusion of control. Through revealing that control is simply an illusion, my hope is that others will also learn that only through total lack of control can we truly discover the beauty that exists in the chaos of life.

Through the creation of intimate wearable art, in the form of jewelry, I choose to explore intimate topics revolving around the effects of control. I opt to use traditional fine jewelry materials such as silver, gold and natural gemstones coupled with conventional metalsmithing practices to create my narrative tales of warning. Each totem animal is selected for both their culturally understood meaning as well as their traditional totem meaning and are representational of individuals in real life. Gemstones are selected for their poisonous qualities as well as their metaphysical healing properties. Conductive metals, such as silver and gold, are used to enhance the properties of the gemstones by helping to administer their healing properties to the wearer. Wild growing floral elements are chosen for their poisonous attributes and are used by the prey totem as a form of protective talisman to ward off the predator totem.

Through carefully selected fabrication techniques I create work that seeks to deconstruct the layers of control. Each piece is intended to be a piece of a puzzle, created with hidden elements and disguise in mind. These illusive elements are intended to be discovered through personal and intimate interaction with each piece.

It is my intention to create work that seeks to acknowledge that beauty and strength still exist, even after loss of innocence occurs after undergoing experiences where control and choice have been stripped. Following such encounters it is very typical to have a completely different world view; a view in which the world becomes dark, dangerous and deadly. Just as children’s tales exist to warn children about fates, my work exists to not only provide heed but also hope. Hope of strength, resilience, protection and self sustenance.