A successful piece of art is one where the viewer is first captured by the color and the subject matter.  The viewer moves in closer to get more of the story.  They then ask the question “How did she do that?”  I strive to create art with this ability, the ability to capture the viewer and hold them in the moment.

Color and textures are what motivate me to create my artwork. I use various traditional and non-traditional dyeing and painting techniques to create fabrics used in my pieces. I enhance the fabrics with stitching and quilting.  The subject matter for my work focuses on highlighting and marking the passing of time among people, documenting the environment around us, and the simple pleasures life has to offer. 

I begin with line drawings that I create from digital photos, visual observations, and painting open air during my travels and around my home. Watercolors are used to add color and more details to the line drawings.  Using thickened dyes, acrylic paints, permanent markers and color pencils, I make the figures romp across my fabrics. The lines that I draw to create these flowers, animals, and people  are translated into stitched lines using the sewing machine.  Texture and the weave of fabric all are important part of the finished piece and are carefully chosen for each project.

In the last steps, I cut the paintings apart, piece them back together with other coordinating fabrics and stitch them into quilts, books and other fiber art works.  Please visit my art gallery to view my watercolors, fabric art and illustrations.