Growing up in central Illinois, I always enjoyed doing arts and crafts. Homeschooled from kindergarten, I was always trying something new, including knitting, cross-stitch, painting, jewelry making, etc. In 2006, when I was 13, my Grandfather decided to teach me how to wood turn. After learning the basic skills I saw a kit for making a wood turned pen, so I decided to try it. After making my first one I was hooked. After a couple of years of practicing and trying some new things I tried selling my work at a of couple of local craft shows. Reception was good and people were amazed I was so young. The following year I started participating in juried art fairs and expanded my stock to include other small items. In 2008 I was juried into the Illinois Artisan Association.
Over the years I've been lucky to win several awards at juried art shows including 1st and 2nd in my category. I also received awards for wood turned projects that I entered in my local 4-H show. Nowadays I do 6-10 shows a year and I am still making new projects as well as using new mediums for pens. |