Textiles and mixed media, as art for the wall, three-dimensional structures, and extravagant jewelry, form the basis of my work. I draw my inspiration from a variety of sources: my own imagination and strong sense of drama, the colorists and abstract expressionists of the past, and the wild variety of the natural world. At times my work is a response to the grey Pacific Northwest winters; at other times it reflects the natural energy of spring and summer.
A central feature of my work is texture, both visual and literal. Whether I am exploring the organic features of forest, mountain, and seashore – the waves and tide lines, wind-bent or fire-scarred trees, strata and fissures in the rocks – or the inner landscape of emotions, spirit, and self, I want my work to have as much interest for the fingertips as for the eye. Hence, the decision to work with fabric, fiber, beads, and found objects. I am drawn to the amazing variety of texture to be found in hand-dyed and hand-painted fabrics and fibers, which adds to the abstract imagery of my work.
Although my inspiration comes from the great outdoors, the work itself is on a much more intimate scale, appropriate for private spaces, small nooks, and niches.