These are some of my tools.  

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I love working with my hands, it is something I always dreamed of doing as part of my job. But I always had a wild imagination too, so I love being an artist who is also a craftsperson. I really take pride in knowing how to make the pieces I design and I love the getting down and dirty parts of metalsmithing. Knowing about the tools it takes to make a thing has always interested me. In a lot of ways, I feel that knowing the craft first, leads you to the freedom of the art/artist.  Because of this I am always drawn to the tools and soooo curious about everyone else’s. I am always thrilled to visit a museum exhibition where there is not only a chance to see an artist's work up close, but also a discreet display of their well loved tools. A peek at the brushes of Georgia O'Keeffe with their dried paint nested in their well worn toolbox like a family, Leonardo da Vinci's goose feather quill and pulp paper preserved behind glass, or sculptress Barbara Hepworth's dusty hammers and chisels at the base of an unfinished stone as if she had just stepped out of her studio to take a work break, seem to bring more life to their art in some way.  Seeing an artist's tools feels like a glimpse into the process of their expression and not just the end result. 

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So I started a little project! I'll be featuring some of my favorite craftspeople and artists here in my journal as a TOOLS OF THE TRADE series.  Each month I'll be interviewing a different maker and giving you a glimpse into the tools they use to make the magic that they do. To kick off the project this month I'll be sharing my own tools! I hope you follow along!
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