I grew up mostly in the Midwest, but it was probably inevitable that I would eventually make Lopez Island, “The Rock”, my home. When I was a kid, my sister, Britta, was the first family member to visit the island. She brought me a bag of beach rocks; rocks that were unlike any I could find around our Minnesota home. Round, colorful stones, shaped by the magic of wind powered waves on the rocky beaches of Lopez. That was the beginning of my love for rocks and the stories they tell.
When I finally made my own way here twenty some years ago, I collected rocks just for their natural beauty. But in the time spent on beaches, it was as if the rocks started whispering to me. At first, I would just drill a hole to turn a stone into a simple necklace. But as the whispers became more insistent, I discovered rocks could be miniature canvases. Using diamond coated bits in a rotary tool, I could turn each rock into something just a little different, a frame for smaller pebble sized beads, a colorful cairn to mark the way back to nature, and eventually, tiny stone faces, and other carved fancies.
Thank you for taking a look at my jewelry. I hope it brings you the same joy I get from Lopez’s little treasures. My work can be seen in person at Chimera Gallery at 211 Lopez Road in Lopez Village.
Stina
Lopez Island, Washington, United States