Joanne. Maker of one-of-a-kind.

Born by the sea

I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia — and the ocean never really left me. The sea glass I work with, the coastal colours, the blues and greens and pale whites: they carry something of that shore in them. I feel it every time I sit down to work.

Forty-two years, then the bench

I spent 42 wonderful years working before I retired in 2013. And when I finally had the time to follow what had always quietly called to me, I found it in a studio, working with my hands.

Never arrived

I’m self-taught in many ways, but I’ve been fortunate to learn from four other artisans whose generosity and guidance shaped how I think about making. I also studied at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, where I found language for things I had been feeling my way toward.

Creativity, to me, means always having something to learn or improve. I’ve never arrived. And I don’t think I want to.

Fredericton, family, and the studio

I’m a mother of two and a grandmother of three. I consider it one of the greatest privileges of this chapter of my life that I get to spend my days doing one of two things: making jewellery, or being with my grandchildren. Both fill me in ways I couldn’t have predicted.

Now living in Fredericton, I find a different kind of beauty inspiring me — the inland landscapes, the forests, the changing light through the seasons. It adds new layers to what I make, and I’m grateful for it.