ABOUT ME
I LOVE DESIGNING ART YOU CAN USE (like silk scarves, mandala umbrellas, note cards). I also love to create designs that are deeply personal and meaningful. I am currently focusing on hand-painted silk (using traditional wax resist), pen and ink/ watercolor drawings, and lino-cut prints.
What gives me great joy is seeing the surprise and delight on someone's face as they unwrap a piece of art designed lovingly and very specifically for them. It's so moving with witness the combination of happiness with the piece of art, and the deep joy of realizing how loved they are that such an item was created just for them.
The process begins with a wonderful conversation. This is sometimes with a person who is requesting the item for themselves, and other times with a person who is planning a very special gift for another. We talk about the occasion or purpose of the item, as well as about images, colors, words, and ideas that have special importance to the recipient. After I learn and am clear on my "mission," I set to work, letting my sense of color, balance and pattern guide me.
I'm inspired by nature, and especially love including flowers, birds, waves, leaves, insects, and seashells. I've been a mandala artist for over 16 years, and my love of patterns and symmetry informs my work with silk. I have drawn mandalas as a kind of visual journal exploring emotions and experiences, like the joy of spring, gratitude for friendships, worries about how to plan my days, fear of illness and death, anger at being silenced or hurt, and spiritual experiences.
I have also been a speech-language pathologist for over 20 years, so I have a passion for communication. As a clinician, I help people express themselves in language. As an artist, I use color, image, design (and sometimes words, too) to communicate.
