Artist Statement

Born in Montreal, Canada, Kirsten's interest in art started early with enthusiastic encouragement form her father, who kept her supplied in paints, pencils, clay, and various art classes.  She fed her artistic sensibilities all the way through high school - graphic arts, woodworking, sculpting, photography, drawing and painting.  Even dabbling in music (clarinet, saxophone, and guitar), and theatre (as stage manager).  At graduation she was the recipient of an arts scholarship award and applied and was accepted into the Simon Fraser University fine arts program.  Unfortunately, the academic side prevented entry into the university itself, due to less than stellar grades in subjects such as math, geography, and science.   After graduation, her artistic side was abandoned as she stepped into the "real" world of living on her own and having to pay her way.

About a year and a half ago, after graduating with her BA in Humanities, she decided it was time to resurrect her creative side.  While looking through the local community college's website she saw a class on silversmithing,  her first jewelry making class, and in the process, discovered her passion. Since that first class, she has taken several workshops to learn soldering (brazing), fusing, fabricating bezels for rings and pendants, as well as, participating in two juried shows to date.

Currently, she works primarily in sterling and fine silver, incorporating semi-precious gemstones into many of the pieces.  Soon, she will also be incorporating brass, copper, resin, and glass into her designs.