Although I have done needlework my entire life, all my formal education has been in language and literature. I spent nearly 25 years teaching English and writing. Now that I work in the visual arts, I see my work as poetry: utilizing visual rhythm, rhyme, metaphor, and repetition to create layers of meaning, not all of which is accessible at first glance. I want to reward the careful observer. I want the viewer to come back for more.

Color usually comes first, an emotional and motivating force. Finding and creating patterns is next: the rhythm of things. What happens when seemingly unrelated elements come together? Patterns are both hidden and revealed. I am drawn to the dense visual surface. The tension between fore-and background mirrors one of the essential problems of city life. Bombarded by images, sound, clutter, chatter and message, how do we distinguish the important, the necessary and the real? What comes from within and what from without? What to keep, what to reject? This constant push/pull, interior and exterior, history and present, family and individual, and the resulting struggle for balance, informs my work. The quest is to create harmony amidst the chaos.

Press

Interview by Carol Saller of The Subversive Copy Editor