Dates: April 2016
Art Form & Inspiration
Always fascinated by history and enthralled with old photographs, my work is often a dialog with the past. My textile art calls forth the ghost into the room, searching for a way to connect our present condition with the human experience of those who came before.
As a clinical social worker, I am ever searching for connections with others; the emotions and commonalities of experience that bind us together and define what it means to be human.
The eyes of the human face often betray the mask people present to the world at large. Through portraiture, I seek to penetrate this façade and expose the emotion hidden from view.
My latest work focuses on the themes of hardship, sacrifice, survival and heroism. Other figurative pieces explore the geography of the human body.
Influenced by the art of Alice Neal, Lucian Freud, Edward Curtis and Kevin Red Star. I prefer the study of common people over celebrity and equally appreciate both the absurdity and beauty of the human form.
Biography
I am a contemporary textile artist living in Lancaster, Ohio. Although I love to travel, I have always lived in Ohio, and grew up on a small farm in the central part of the state.
Creativity and a love of the outdoors are natural parts of my life and seem to be family traits.
I have always loved the beauty and textural quality of fabric. About thirty years ago I began making quilts that relied on traditional patterns and color ways, but became bored with the repetitive nature of the endeavor.