I was once asked: “In one or two words, what means the most to you in life?” The answer, and the realization, came to me in an instant: Creative Opportunity! My artistic expression, often three-dimensional, is an effort to create beauty and simplicity in functional objects. Over a lifetime I’ve worked with many media. I learned knitting and sewing at my mother’s knee, sewing clothes, knitting sweaters and sox, working on a variety of embroidery projects. These led me to my interest in ornamentation and artwear. My grandmother introduced me to travel — across the country by train at 12 years old, two months in Europe plus North Africa when I was 18 years old, as well as many solo and group trips beyond. The Creative Opportunity that is before me now is presented by decades-long collections of yarns, fabrics, ethnic beads, shells and treasured tchotchkes. Now I’m experiencing the joy of combining them into jewelry using techniques from textile arts, beading and metal smithing. This and much of my art has been influenced by my travels over 70 years. As I look back I see how influenced I’ve been by family, including my father’s engineering! Yes, figuring out how to carry out my creative visions often takes a bit of engineering!