I will always be an Oregonian at heart. There's something about the light, the land and the spirit of the Pacific Northwest that has colored my sensibilities since childhood. No matter where my travels take me, I will always consider this lush, vibrant wonderland my home.      "The Earth Series" has emerged from my deeply held respect for this beautiful place.      I always hunted for rocks and fossils in my youth. I have carried many with me from home to home and still have some that I will not give up because they hold a kind of spiritual energy for me.      Most of the rocks I found in this series represent significant emotions or times in my life. The rocks guide me in discovering how to incorporate them into my jewelry.      My toolmaking background has become vital in this series as I need to make many of the diamond core drills to accommodate some of the stones.      At present I am also working with fossils, petrified wood and other terrestrial elements.