Origin Story

My mother’s family come from Latgale — towns like Rēzekne and Zilupe in Latvia— places where ornament and craft were part of everyday life.
 

My grandparents, like so many displaced by war and occupation, arrived in Australia after WWII with very little. What they did carry with them were memories: songs, stories, patterns, skills, and a way of seeing the world that was shaped by nature, community and craft.

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Latvian culture, especially in Latgale, has always been grounded in making. Woodwork, weaving, silverwork, ceramics — each with its own rhythms and symbols. My own lineage includes skilled craftspeople, and while I didn’t learn metalwork directly from them, the mindset they passed down — that things should be made with care, made to last, and made with intention — has shaped my practice deeply.
 

In Latvia, folk symbols are part of daily life. Some date back thousands of years:
 

• Auseklis, the morning star, symbol of protection and awakening

• Jumis, representing fertility, duality and good harvest

• Māra’s cross, associated with the earth, motherhood, grounding
   

These symbols aren’t always motifs I replicate literally. Instead, they act like quiet threads, guiding forms, proportions and gestures in my work. They remind me that ornament can hold meaning — it can connect people to land, season, culture and ancestry.
 

The Latvian-inspired range is not an historic reconstruction. It is a personal exploration. I am learning, researching and interpreting at my own pace, acknowledging the depth of the traditions while also recognising my position: I am part of the diaspora, shaped equally by the past and by the life I lead here on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar.
 

I make these pieces with a sense of gratitude — to my family, to the traditions they carried, and to the land I live and work on now. My hope is that these objects feel grounded, thoughtful and open: not explanations of a culture, but invitations into a story that continues to evolve.

 

Learn More

 

If you’re curious to explore the cultural roots, symbols and traditions that quietly inform my work, these are deeply researched and respected resources:
 

• The Folklore Movement in Latvia (LFK) — A richly documented exhibition and research project tracing how folk song, dress, and craft became central to Latvia’s national identity during the Singing Revolution. Latviešu Folkloras Krātuve+1

• Latvian Folklore Repository / Institute (LFMI) — The main academic centre for collecting, preserving and researching Latvian folk traditions, motifs, tales and material culture. Latviešu Folkloras Krātuve

• Latvian Signs & Symbols — A detailed glossary of traditional Latvian decorative symbols (Latvju raksti), their mythological meanings and cultural contexts. latvians.com