I started collecting Nespresso coffee capsules for many years, thinking that once I retired I would make something with them. I liked the irridescence and the colors and felt that throwing them away would be a shame. (At the time, Nespresso did not offer recycling of their used pods, now they do.) I had absolutely no clue what I would do with these aluminum pods. I retired from my attorney position with New Mexico Legal Aid in January of 2020 and after helping out with zoom school for two of our grandkids during the early months of the pandemic, I started playing with my coffee capsules. I always loved mosacis and after exploring and experimenting with different ideas, I created my "coffee art mosaic" technique. The coffee feeds my garden and I almost exclusively use discarded or found materials for my substrate. I love to recycle and upcycle.

This is my very first exploration in making art. I never took an art class before but I have started to teach myself on-line and to take a few mosaic classes. I am very grateful to my mentors Jill Gatwood and Erika Harding for their encouragement and support.

My favorite thing is to create something for people that is meaningful to them. Either start with a found or used object or with an image or idea to interpret. Sometimes the substrate determines the image and sometimes the image or idea determines what substrate to use.