My earliest hats came from taking apart old vintage pieces and putting them back together again. I loved giving these forgotten relics a new life, but soon reached the end of using worn hats to create the finished product. I developed the technical side of my craft through my previous art practice and by working with local milliners Wayne Wichern, Jasmin Zorlu and Deanna Gibbons.

I hand block O’Lover Hats from fine quality natural felts and straws, supporting traditional cultural industries of felting and weaving locally and abroad in places as distinct as the Czech Republic and Ecuador. My hats, made in both original and classic shapes, complement an array of people and personalities. Some are more whimsy than hat.  I incorporate found and recycled objects to maintain a reuse ethos.

I have been working in collaboration with various hatmakers, artists and arts organizations putting on events promoting creative spirit in San Francisco and Oakland since 2003.  I create other forms of sculpture too and am a member of the Oakland based artist collective Five Ton Crane.