Artist Statement

Monoprints

For me the making of a print is an instinctive, meditative process. It is a mysterious unfolding of images. Each image has its own energy and possibilities. And yet, each image gives its permission for the next one to appear. Printmaking is a joyful balance between absolute spontaneity and control, between chaos and order and between form and formlessness. With an open mind and heart the dialogues between paper, thread and ink are endless.

About Kanthas

The word Kantha means rags in Sanskrit. As a meditation practice, Buddhist monks pieced together scraps of cloth to make their robes. Tearing something apart and reorganizing it is the inspiration behind my paper kantha series. I hand print onto sewing pattern paper, tear the pieces apart and then reassemble them. Once the pieces are in place, I attach them to natural hemp paper using a traditional Kantha running stitch. These embroidered "markings", along with beads and natural materials, add additional texture to my work. For me, embroidery has become a meditation practice. Given so much sadness in the world today, being able to heal through art and sewing is an extraordinary gift.

Ecoprinting

Eco-printing is a natural dying technique in which leaves are placed directly onto treated papers. The papers are then “bundled” and placed into a steam bath to extract the natural pigments from the leaves. Essentially you are printing leaf designs onto the surface of paper. It is often described as a “curious alchemy.”

I love to walk with my dog and gather leaves that I find when I am hiking or even just walking in my neighborhood. Collecting these leaves and identifying them has given me a deeper and new way to interact with the natural world around me. When I get back to my studio and start “bundling” my leaf compositions, I am struck by the freedom of not being bound by product but rather by process and exploration. A friend described eco-printing as a process of “gathering, bundling, wondering, waiting, unwrapping, and seeing”. It is a newfound joy in my life.