Lakeside Rocks is pretty much a one-woman show. I pick out the materials, design most of the pieces, & make almost all of them. My favorite guy, Sam, who makes & sets Tiffany & Co. jewels, sets my pendant stones, & designed the amazing Camo Fish pendant & Baby Dragon. My friend Kim Thomas, owner of Pink Snake Jewelry, helped me make & design the Helix. I do all of my own photography, packaging, shipping, marketing, & sales. I also created this website & maintain it. I have loved jewelry & many forms of art since I was a young child, & was a studio art major at Williams College, where I concentrated on sculpture & lithography. My interest in learning metal-smithing began in my home town, New York City, with beginner & then advanced night classes in metal-smithing at the School of Visual Arts. I also took classes in pearl & bead stringing at the 92nd St. YMCA. I then became a full-time apprentice for a small manufacturing company in the Diamond District. There I helped manufacture platinum, 18 kt gold, & sterling silver pieces with stones, pearls, & beads for Tiffany & Co., Scott Colee, & Janet Mavec. I continued at the School of Visual Arts as a teaching assistant, & took some lost wax classes from Fred De Vos. The manufacturing company then moved to the Hudson Valley, so I moved with them. My continuing desire to find time to make more of my own designs inspired me to quit my job & start Lakeside Rocks. Since then I've taken a wire-working class from Elizabeth Knodle, and joined the Hudson Valley Artisans Guild. I won "Best in Show Jewelry" at the 2008 Miller Craft Show, 2nd Place for Crafts at Fairfield, CT's 28th Annual Town Hall Green Arts & Crafts Show in 2009, & show my work at many NY, CT, & NJ craft & fine art shows. I was also the only jeweler featured on Cablevision News' Neighborhood Journal show about where to buy unique local gifts in Nov. & Dec. 2008. But I said it's "pretty much" a one woman show because I would never have had the courage or knowledge to start it without the help & support from awesome teachers, family, and friends. I give many thanks to all of them, for encouraging me to pursue a new career in jewelry, & teaching me all of the skills I needed. I especially thank my mother, who exposed me to art & travel, and encouraged my love of art from a very early age; my older sister & brother, whose artistic talents I aspired to; my first metal-smithing teacher at the School of Visual Arts, Victoria, who got me so excited about making jewelry during my first class that I couldn't sleep, & Sam, who has not only taught me many skills, & encouraged me to start this business, but is always willing to teach or help me. The name "Lakeside Rocks" was inspired by how much I love my studio's view of a beautiful Hudson Valley lake, a flower-covered rock formation in front of it, and the stones I use in some of my pieces. My jewelry designs have been inspired by my love of nature, art from many cultures around the world, and amazing handmade beads made by other artists. I pick out each bead and stone, and try to design pieces that combine them with other materials that really compliment and show them off. I hope my jewelry will make its wearer feel very special. COME SEE some of my jewels at the Gazen Gallery, 6423 Montgomery St., Rhinebeck, NY 12572; or check them out on their website (they ship too) - www.GazenGallery.com/Artist-Bios/Sumi_Ports.html; or come to one of my 2010 shows: Sun. June 13th, noon to 5pm at the Beacon Sloop Club's Annual Strawberry Fest - free admission; strawberry shortcake & other food; hand-made arts & crafts; non-profit, educational booths; etc. - proceeds go to their educational sailing vessel "The Woody Guthrie," which offers free sails, & to help build a community of environmentally aware citizens; Riverfront Park on the Beacon Waterfront - just north of the Metro North parking lot, where parking is free on weekends; www.BeaconSloopClub.org; Sat. June 19th, 10-6pm & Sun. June 20th, 10-5pm at the 26th Annual Crafts at Rhinebeck, a high-end, contemporary juried show for hand-made fine art & crafts at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, 6550 Springbrook Ave, Rhinebeck, NY 12572; CraftsAtRhinebeck.com (pending); Sun. July 18th, 9-5pm, rain or shine, at the Cold Spring River Festival, An Antiques and hand-made Arts & Crafts Show (managed by David S. Cooke of Sarabeck Antiques), in Mayor's Park, on the Hudson River, in Cold Spring, NY; www.ColdSpringRiverFestival.com; Sat. Aug. 7th, 10-5pm at the 51st Annual Sharon on the Green Arts & Crafts Fair - food too, Town Hall Green, across from 63 Main St., Sharon, CT 06069; (pending); Sat. & Sun. Aug. 21 & 22nd, at the 41st Annual Garrison Art Center's Fine Arts & Crafts Fair - also great food, live music, & free sails on the Woody Guthrie Sloop at a beautiful spot on the Hudson River, 23 Depot Square on Garrison's Landing, Garrison, NY 10524, a short walk from the Metro North Garrison stop (a one-day getaway discounted trip), with free parking in the Metro North parking lot; www.GarrisonArtCenter.org (lists artists, w/photos of their work); (pending); Sun. Sept. 5th, 11-4pm, rain or shine, at the 12th Annual Alpaca/Harvest Festival at Bethel Woods, in the main craft village tent; also farmer's market, live music, food, artists' demos, & children's area w/arts, educational, & historical programming; & Museum at Bethel Woods, site of the 1969 Woodstock Concert Fest; 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel, NY; www.BethelWoodsCenter.org (pending); Sat. & Sun. Oct. 2 & 3rd, 10-5pm at the 26th Annual Crafts at Rhinebeck, a juried show for hand-made fine art & crafts at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds; also has a Petting Zoo, Horse Drawn Carriage Rides, a Farmer's Market, pumpkins, & Wine Tasting & Specialty Foods; 6550 Springbrook Ave, Rhinebeck, NY 12572; CraftsAtRhinebeck.com (pending); Sun. Oct. 10th, 11-4pm, rain or shine, at the 12th Annual Rustic Home Craft Show/Harvest Festival at Bethel Woods, in the main craft village tent; also farmer's market, live music, food, artists' demos, & children's area w/arts, educational, & historical programming; & Museum at Bethel Woods, site of the 1969 Woodstock Concert Fest; 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel, NY; www.BethelWoodsCenter.org (pending); Sat. & Sun. Nov. 13-14th at the Dutchess County Arts Council's Fine Art & Craft Market at the Mercury Grand Hotel (new location), 2170 South Rd. (Route 9), Poughkeepsie, NY; www.artsmidhudson.org (pending).