I am an artist in Oregon. My favorite medium is fiber. I love the soft, joyful element of working with fibers, especially natural ones. My favorites today are cotton and wool, although silks, linens, and rayons are on my list to dive into soon. I love dyeing my own fabrics. My studio doubles as both dye and mark-making space and assembly and creative space, so I keep my dye and mark-making practice tight and neat. Despite that, it feels like a playground where I get to connect with my Muse. I love how my Muse works so many interesting and beautiful patterns and stories into the pieces I dye.
Inside you there's an artist you don't know about...say yes quickly, if you know, if you've known it from before the beginning of the Universe.
This was my first-ever show of my own. I had loads of fun putting it together, and I learned a lot. The show was called Fiber Art: A Layered Conversation.
I was asked to apply, and I did! This is my first Gallery Membership Experience. Stop by The New Zone Gallery to see my work.
I entered four works to be exhibited in New Zone Gallery's Open Exhibit.
I learned to felt from Sue Redhead and Patty Millage. I began experimenting with wet felting and needle felting, incorporating it into some of my 2022 works.
"Sekmet's Garden" began traveling with one of the SAQA Trunk Shows. This series began with a single ice dyed piece from which three Egyptian deities emerged thanks to the inspiration of my Muse.
"Whisperings of the Bigger Picture" showed with the project at Eugene Textile Center in January 2023. I had one month, August, in 2022 to complete my work inspired by the piece that preceded mine in the series.
I teamed up with Sue Redhead, Sheryl LeBlanc, and Georgia French to get inspired to create something daily for the month of January. Each piece was a Start, but didn't ever have to be a finished work.
After the success of my "Transition" series, I asked my Muse for inspiration for another similar series. "Renewal" was the answer.
I asked my Muse for inspiration. My plan was to create a series I could finish as I practice on my new long arm quilting machine. "Transitions" was the answer.
I invested in my first long arm quilting machine, a Bernina Q20...and never looked back.
I wanted to take my ice dyeing to a new level. I asked my Muse to help me out, and two series of pieces were the result. One is based on Rain and the other is based on Fire.
This series was inspired by conversations with Sheryl LeBlanc as a part of the Synergy Project with Valley South Oregon SAQA.
We finished the studio space. It was my first dedicated space since we migrated from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest.
"River" was inspired by a session I took with Pat Pauly as part of my SAQA Oregon Regional Conference experience. It was on display at Eugene Textile Center.
Kristianne Bonn gifted me with a treasure trove of art supplies, which got me moving on learning a new set of skills for surface design.
The COVID Pandemic changed a lot in my life and my art.
My first ice dye pieces from 2018 inspired this series.
"Rooted in Tradition" is part of my Tree and Rock series. It was a part of Boundaries, a Valley South Oregon SAQA exhibit.
I began to work more consciously with my Muse.
Ice Dye and low immersion dye were the first techniques with which I worked.
I began spinning and learning to knit lace with the intention of understanding the whole process, from sheep shearing to finished lace shawl.
I joined Studio Art Quilt Associates. This marks a turning point in my move from Craft to Art, and the beginning of my own growing awareness of the Muse, my Muse, who has walked alongside me all along.
I displayed one of my Kinchaku collection pieces. This was my first SAQA exhibit.
I learned to knit and crochet. For reals this time.
I invested in my first Bernina domestic sewing machine. It replaced a Singer 99K and a Pfaff industrial, neither of which could handle free-motion quilting. It was one of the best choices I've ever made.
I learned hand applique from Patricia Cox and began to look at quilts as more artwork than craft.
I created my first Mosaic in Fabric, a huge bed quilt. This opened the door into working with piecing and quilting techniques.
I threw my first pot as part of my high school art experience, learning from Mel Jacobsen. The door into Art opened just a crack.
Mom taught me to sew first by hand and later using her Kenmore domestic sewing machine. I began with pillows and bags and later moved on to sewing clothing from patterns.
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