ARTIST

Artist Statement

Stitching is an art and craft that has been utilized—primarily by women—throughout history and in all corners of the world. Requiring a skill set that includes precision and focus, needlework can be an act of creation, repair, and rebellion. Whether for household items such as bed linens and curtains, all manner of clothing, or flags, banners, and religious articles, textile work has been a form of expression to convey status, wealth, and luxury (or lack thereof.) It can be a medium for storytelling as well as an instrument for intimate, covert communication. Whenever and wherever this work has been executed, it has, more often than not, been done by individuals whose own stories, experiences, and identities were rarely, if ever, acknowledged, let alone honored and celebrated.

One aim of this work is to incorporate my own experiences—as a woman, an artist, and a rebel in my own way—into the vast universe of stories that have been brought to life from the hands of women as they worked with needle and thread. Every step of the artistic process, which includes washing, ironing, painting, stitching, staining, cutting, tearing, mending, and embellishing, is executed with this intention. It is my way of offering a silent, reverent nod to the feminine, matrilineal origins that enabled me to come to this particular form of artistic expression.

A ceramic artist once told me he had to forgive everyone before working on his most delicate pieces. With every stitch and drip of color, I offer similar such prayers meditations—for forgiveness, grace, redemption, and an appreciation for the way each of my lived experiences, like individual threads, play their own unique role in the formation of my Life Story. Textile compositions act as symbolic, sacred relics that represent the beauty, mystery, and purpose that lie at the core of every moment in a life. Intricate, meticulous needlework exists within spaces that also include awkward stitches, stains, and loose threads; the incorporation of various “mistakes” allows pieces to emerge organically and in the spirit of the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which calls for seeing beauty in imperfection.

inevitability

After more than 25 years as an Artist, Writer, and Explorer, it is inevitable I landed here, working with textiles and stitching. A career that began in 1995 with an illustrated line of greeting cards evolved into original mixed media creations and writing. Influences from before and after these chapters include my grandma’s love of knitting, sewing, and needlework and all the afternoons I spent absorbed in embroidery projects in middle school.

Early illustrations for the greeting cards were characterized by bright gradient colors and tiny details. Mixed media and collage work compositions were multi-layered, created with vintage ephemera, photography from my own travels, and materials that included paint, ink, encaustic wax, coffee, feathers, and salt. Ordinary Sparkling Moments, published in 2008, brought these mixed media creations alongside journal-style essays about finding wisdom in everyday life. Each iteration of my artistic journey emerged from previous expressions; the textile work that is currently coming to life represents a culmination of dozens of explorations and stories. The detail work of early commercial illustrations, the layered quality of previous mixed media work, and even specific visual elements from bodies of work created years ago are being brought together in an entirely new way.

The journey of creating this body of work—a process that is still evolving—has been primarily about giving myself the time to explore and experiment. The last five years have been about small bursts of studio activity in the midst of a cross-country move and two book projects, the foundation of which has been an enduring trust that it would all coalesce in its own time. This has been an entirely new approach to my work as an Artist, and has rewarded me with the discovery of ideas, concepts, and techniques I would not have found otherwise. Core values as to this particular body of work and creative process include freedom, space, time, and patience. Through both the process and the actual finished pieces, I endeavor to create a space of calm in the midst of social media, electronic billboards, and the 24-hour news cycle.