Honoring the Ordinary

My grandparents were farmers and ranchers.

My mother has a degree in Home Economics.

As I raised three children, I cooked dinner most evenings for over 20 years.

For the last few years of my husband's life, I fed him chocolate mousse almost every day. 

During that time, I also stole time to feed my soul by working with metal whenever I could.

I started making objects that would enrich my everyday life – that would make me smile as I cooked those dinners and fed my husband – that would give those ordinary activities a special touch.

These pieces are basic – a spoon, a butterknife, a fork…. And they are functional tools meant to nourish the soul as they serve the food. I thought about how they would function as I made them. The part that comes into contact with the food is often stainless steel but also often sterling silver. I make sure they fit comfortably into the hand. These pieces are meant to be used.

Spoons are such a big part of life. We start off with baby spoons and grow into more specialized adult flatware. My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2015. We knew well before then that something was wrong. For the last several years of his life, he was in a care facility and needed to be hand fed. I went in pretty much every day to feed him either lunch or dinner. I mostly use a spoon. I know it's nourishment for him, but it feeds my soul that I could be albe to do that for him. 

As time goes on, I better understand the hard work and sacrifices of my parents, grandparents and others that went into making my life as rich as it is. My work honors them. I only wish my grandmother could have used one of my spoons to mix something she was cooking. I think she would smile.