Artist Statement
When a mark is made on the surface of a page, it is a piece of personal history. It records an interpretation of a mood or a remnant of a movement. It captures the energy that came from the physical act of creating those lines and edges.
In my work (many samples below), I layer charcoal lines, torn paper, handspun fiber, thread and pastel. I enjoy the discoveries I encounter in the process of combining these different textures, material and colors to make them work together.
Fiber entered my artwork shortly after I learned to spin yarn on a wheel. There are a multitude of materials available for spinning. Each has its own individual characteristic that is revealed when spun. I am inspired by the curling and bending of the handspun fiber and use it as I would a drawn line to direct the flow or pull a shape from a page. Often I find that colors I’m using to make yarn influence my exploration with a piece of artwork. Each creative endeavor feeds the other.
Curriculum Vitae: PDF
Sample Bodies of Work
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Common Threads | I created the pieces above for a joint show featuring artwork by me and by Lori Harley. Our show, Common Threads, was on display for the months of August and September 2014 at Black Cat Coffee, 463 Stevens Avenue in Portland, Maine.
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Losing Memory of Familiar Objects | Memories evoke emotions, good and bad, which define your feelings toward someone. You keep objects and pictures because you want to remember those feelings.
Life is constantly changing. People you love come and go. If you can hide away an object that triggers a memory, then you’ve captured it. It will never change. It’s yours whenever you want it, as long as your mind continues to store your memory.
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Capturing Stillness | Through the practice of yoga I have grown stronger and feel more balanced both physically and emotionally. I wanted to create artwork that reflected those feelings.
I approached each image by building from the outside-in. I started with a drawing and distilled it down to shapes that described in an abstract way the muscles, movement and form of the body working in the asana. Inspired by Henri Matisse’s Cut-Outs, I transformed the shapes I created to paper and applied them to a background. From there, I worked shaping wire, thinking of it like bones creating structure, but still reinforcing the flow and energy of the pose. I bound the wire to the body by sewing with a needle and thread. I kept the stitches close to the joints and areas of juncture where bones might meet in the physical body.
My own yoga practice helped inform the creation of these pieces. Because I have been in these poses, I know how my body feels in them—which areas are heavy and which are broad and open.
The poses I chose for this series are some of my favorite to practice. I always enjoy the challenge that each one presents, to both the mind and the body.
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Handmade Cards | For each of these card designs, I begin with a drawing that I transfer to and carve into a linoleum block. From that block, I create a print on textured paper. I then add cut paper shapes and sew-on wire elements that I bend in ways that I feel reinforce the movement or form of the image. All of those elements are joined together on a watercolor paper card stock. Each is individually hand-crafted and intended for use as a card or may be framed and enjoyed as pure artwork.