ABOUT

LavenderJewelry = What happens when a glass blower obtains job at organic lavender farm.

My adventure with lavender began more than twenty years ago at Pelindaba Lavender Farm on San Juan Island. The seasonal glassblowing job that brought me to the island ended, and I took what I expected to be short-term work at the local organic farm. That was 2003, when I joined the farm's team of artisans. Pelindaba followed a vertically integrated model, creating value-added products from the lavender flowers and essential oils produced on site. As I learned more about lavender's properties, I worked in retail during the busy summer months and designed and formulated products in the shoulder seasons. Over the years I wore many hats, including Director of Product Development, Buyer, Inventory Manager, and Regional Retail Operations Manager.

While helping Pelindaba grow from a small island business into a nationwide lavender franchise, I was able to combine my passions for glass and lavender, inspired by the many varieties growing on the farm. Before settling on the island, I studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Huntington School of Fine Arts, took immersive art history courses in Mexico and Italy, and earned a BFA from Alfred University near Corning, New York. After training as a traditional glassblower and exploring metal and glass casting, I moved across the country to San Juan Island, which lies between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, and is reachable only by ferry or small plane. Sheltered in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, the island has an ideal climate for growing lavender.

In 2023, the lavender farm closed unexpectedly. The property is now home to Alchemy Art Center, a nonprofit offering accessible arts programming to islanders and visitors alike. I now serve as the center's Assistant Director, working from the Art Barn just above the lavender fields.