GROWING PAINS was both a personal and artistic investigation into the evolving definitions of art jewelry and adornment. The necklaces are larger-than-life—ambitiously scaled, yet still technically wearable—challenging conventional notions of function and existing in the space between body and installation art.
Conceived during a period of profound transition, the series mirrored my own shifting sense of identity. Graduation was looming, relationships were dissolving, and the idea of “home” was beginning to unravel. Comfort no longer answered to its old name. I found myself lingering in the hallways between what once was and what might be. Growing Pains became a reflection of my art school journey: from the early spark I found in drawing hands—small gestures full of expression—to the final stretch, where my metals practice pushed beyond tradition and into conceptual forms.
Exhibited June 2015, Greenville Art Museum, NC
