As an artist and designer, I am motivated to make art that is aesthetically stimulating, new and innovative, and that exhibits a commitment toward responsible and sustainable design.  Using natural materials along with digital media defines my approach as the synthesis of opposites.  My enthusiasm for ethnic textiles and global design, coupled with my passion for the botanical world, influences my artistic expressions.  I combine eclectic embellishments and rich colors derived from nature’s palette with elaborate patterns and imagery, both symbolic and nonsensical, resulting in multiple layers of materials and meaning.

 

My work is continually informed by my travel experiences both as a child and an artist.  I spent many years being ‘homeschooled’ on the beaches of Mexico where I gained awe and appreciation of Huichol art and culture. I have had the opportunity to study with weavers in Central Mexico and to collect rare dye plants with Zapotec dyers in Oaxaca Valley.  In the interior of Borneo, I participated in a ritualistic dye ceremony (Gawai Ngar) of the Iban women and in Bali I was invited into the homes of the Bali Aga people to ‘talk story’ about the rarest form of Ikat weaving, the Geringsing, and marvel at the heirloom weavings of great- great-grandmothers. 

 

In addition to my passion of composing images & collecting inspiration globally, I have many years of art teaching experience.  I hold a BA in Art Education from California State University Long Beach.  I have taught preschool through University level.  My personal studies were further broadened at University of California Davis where I earned a MFA in Textile Arts & Costume Design.  As a graduate student, I utilized the department’s exquisite ethnographic textile collections to influence in-depth natural dye studies on cloth, as a painting medium and for use in digital printing. 

 

I now call the Big Island of Hawai’i home, where the abundant natural diversity continues to inspire my current series of paintings of tropical flora.  I have extended my study of ethnobotany to learn about traditional dye plants of the islands and South Pacific.  My future aspirations are to continue developing innovative uses for plant dyes, share my knowledge of art, design and textiles through teaching and to inspire and be inspired by art with meaning and ecological sensibility.