Artist Statement

I use only my own handpainted, monoprinted fabrics in my work. I love the drag of a brush on fabric. A large-scale, exuberant canvas is thrilling. My recent works often add ink drawing to the mix. I juxtapose active forms with quiet, inward ones, motion with stillness. In music, the silence between notes is just as important as the notes themselves.

As a musician, painting and printing fabrics is like playing an instrument or improvising, with an immediacy and dialog with process. Composers and musicians such as Shostakovich and the Silk Road Ensemble enable me to inhabit color.

Recently, I have paired my Tarps and Scrolls with natural phenomena, using photography in short-term installations.

Trained as a printmaker, my interest in fiber art and “making things” began in childhood. I have a family heritage in music and printmaking as well as business. I received my BFA in printmaking from Indiana University and have exhibited and taught at various locations throughout the country and abroad. I’ve also been a cultural and small business advocate, having served as longtime manager, marketing director & co-owner of Iowa Artisans Gallery in Iowa City. I also currently serve as President of the international textile nonprofit, Surface Design Association.