I have a degree in Materials Engineering and had a successful career in product development and project management. In my 30’s, my husband and I relocated from the East Coast to rural central Illinois. Needless to say, job prospects in my field were minimal, especially at the level my career had reached. During that next phase of my life, my husband and I bought a major fixer upper and did the work ourselves.
When we were upgrading the electric system that was originally from the time of Illinois’s “Rural Electrification Act” (circa 19305 - 1945) I found myself surrounded by so much copper wire. It was breathtaking! I absentmindedly created a bracelet and a ring with some of the wire that was sitting on the floor. That was the moment I discovered my new calling.

My foray into metalsmithing was a continued series of happy accidents that lead me to where I am now. I began making items for friends and family, who spread the word to others. Soon I was having strangers commission my to make special items from scraps of wire from their homes to keep or give as mementos. With all of this success I decided to venture out into a bigger audience and eventually entered a contest. that I won, with Uncommon Goods focused on making items with recycled or reclaimed materials. That win lead to a contract with the catalog and it kept growing from there as I moved into wholesale.

It all happened so fast and was very exciting at first. Orders came in, bulk product went out. Then I realized that I was missing out on doing what I loved, making one of a kind items that were as special and unique as the person who will wear it. So once again, at the height of my second career, I found myself pivoting direction and returning to the roots of my passion. Taking materials that are unique with a history all their own, and transforming them into one of a kind heirlooms to be treasured for generations to come, just like that old house my husband and I renovated.

Now I am happily in this next phase of life where I am motivated by my own internal passions and choose uniqueness and quality over quantity. I enjoy meeting the person who chooses one of my items and hearing what moves them about a piece. I love connecting on social media with them and seeing how that piece brings them joy after it leaves my hands. People don’t need jewelry in their life, but it sure brings them happiness. I am proud and honored to be someone who added a piece of happiness of so many peoples lives.
秋コーデ メンズ【2020/2021年最新】 , メンズファッションメディア

Richard Benoit, from Kankakee, Illinois, is a self-taught artist with a degree in photography. He works in a full complement of subjects using pastel, charcoal acrylic paint and mixed media. He has been pursuing a career in art as a means of self-expression.
Richard has been exhibiting his artwork, including his photography, for many years. Originally he got into photography when using that medium to take visual notes for his paintings and drawings but now he concentrates almost exclusively on that latter mode of expression. His work has been described as wonderfully intense, powerful and original and is included in the Illinois Institute of Art and Governors State University’s permanent collections, the Bourbonnais and Bradley Public Libraries, Aventis Pharmaceutical, Riverside Medical Center and many private and public collections throughout the U S.
Richard is a Guild member of the Union Street Gallery in Chicago Heights, IL. and is an artist member of Tall Grass Arts Association in Park Forest, IL.
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