Since she was a child, Leah Pearce Altman has been creating art with her hands. “For as long as I can remember, I have felt called to the arts. I worked my way through learning different types of beadwork and jewelry-making as a young person,” said Altman, who owns Pearce Fine Jewelry on Orcas Island. A San Juan Island native, Altman’s path to becoming a full-time jeweler was winding. In middle and high school, she immersed herself in learning lampworking, making her own glass beads.