My name is Ruth Greening and I live in Rainier Washington, about fifteen minutes from Olympia. Initially from Pennsylvania, I have lived in the Northwest for about thirty years. I have a daughter, Stephanie who is married to an officer in the Navy, and a new Grand daughter, Seviana.   My husband, Dave, is a professional horseman who is very active as a riding instructor for Jumping and Combined Event riders. The passion of my life is the creation of jewelry, combining the crafts of lapidary, wire-wrap and Precious Metal Clay (PMC). I have always had an artistic, creative bent and have, over the years, been involved  in sketching, painting, cake decoration, stone sculpture and air-brush art. I am a member of the Tenino Rockcrusiers, a local rock and gem club.  Other pleasures have been  swimming, diving, dancing, horse back riding, photography and motorcycling. I was first introduced to wire-wrap about six years ago at a local show in nearby Tenino Washington. I was instantly intrigued by the beauty, simplicity and challenge of this unique craft. Since that time I have taken every opportunity  possible to increase my skill and knowledge. I have had wonderful instruction, influence and encouragement  from a number of experienced craftsmen . In the spring of 2002 I was introduced to PMC and was thrilled with the flexibility and variety this new medium gave me. I am a member of the PMC Guild and in August of 2004 completed my Level II Certification at the William Holland Lapidary School in Georgia under the instruction of Mary Ann Devos, a well known PMC author and instructor. In October of 2004 I was accepted by PMC Connection to be a Senior Instructor for the Northwest U.S.A. I am very excited and honored by this opportunity and look forward to serving in this capacity. I am currently teaching workshops at Shipwreck Beads, and Needles Quilt Shop in Olympia Washington as well as Heart of the West Gallery in Winthrop  and Gallery One in Ellensburg, both of which display some of my work. I have also teamed up with a friend who is a Beader in opening up a teaching studio known as The Gathering in nearby Tenino Washington. My philosophy in my work is a ‘less is more’ look that is clean and allows the stone, gem or figure to be the highlight of the piece. I thoroughly enjoy the excitement of my own creations, but just as much, I enjoy the pleasure and empowerment that others get when they find out they can do similar things. I very much look forward to the growth in my own education as a craftsman/artist as well as facilitating the same for others.