I have been creating art and making things with my hands since I was old enough to hold a crayon. Over the years I have tried my hand at many crafts and explored many artistic mediums. I began working with leather in 2006 and immediately developed a strong passion for the art form. I learned the craft of leatherwork mainly through a lot of trial and error. I spent a great deal of time playing with leather as medium and discovering for myself its idiosyncrasies and particularities. Through self teaching I learned the best way to do things by learning what not to do. At the time I was fortunate to be living with two lampworkers who sold their glass creations at various shows around the area. They invited me to share a booth with them at several events and in this way I dove head first into the world of selling my own work. I opened my etsy shop in August of 2009.

In the years since I began working with leather I have explored many different aspects of the craft. Initially I began making basic cuff bracelets and belts but soon delved into the amazing world of tooling vegetable tanned cowhide. Right from the start I was drawing up my own designs on paper and developing my own way of transferring those patterns to the leather allowing me to create more detailed and precise designs than I was able to freehand. My designs were often inspired by some of the styles evident in tattoo art, particularly Asian inspired imagery such as dragons and koi fish. I fell in love with the way I could bring an image to life by hammering the leather to create depth and movement in a previously one-dimensional piece of leather.

Leather mask making is another area of leatherwork that I have grown passionate about. I draw all of my mask patterns onto paper before transferring the design onto the leather. I generally start with an idea in my head but the transformation that takes place while moulding the leather is always unique and never fails to captivate me. The variety that I find between hides and even different parts of the same hide means that every time I hold a piece of leather I must learn its distinct characteristics. As I sculpt the leather I sometimes find that it guides me in a direction I hadn't planned on. I generally do not decide on the colour of a mask until the moulding is complete and its personality reveals itself. It is often quite clear at that point which colour would be best suited to that particular mask.

Working with leather keeps me sane and helps to give me the creative outlet that I just cannot live without. I pride myself in creating all of my leather accessories from scratch. In most cases I hand dye and paint the leather myself. Everything that is sewn is hand stitched. I cut every leather shape by hand with either a knife or scissors. When I do shows with my work I often have people ask, "did you make all of this yourself?" I always feel a great surge of pride when I get to say, "yes."