In 2020, I was watching a documentary based on the life of an artist who created sculptures out of old metal from the 1950’s. He spoke of his ongoing love for all aspects of the thin painted scraps he collected. I wondered if I had to choose one type of material to create from, what would it be. The immediate answer surprised me; fabric. I grew up in a home and a culture where there were no paintings but all of the women sewed clothing for themselves and their daughters. Scraps of fabric were available and that is what I had, as a child, to create from. I was passionate about all aspects of working with fabric and all of the tools that could be used with it. Later, I was taught to embroider which became the first way I learned to draw and paint, using needles and thread for lines and color.

At some point, I adopted the viewpoint that working with textiles is not ‘serious art’ and stepped away from the fiber arts. Now, freed from the concept of ‘serious art’, I am re-immersing myself in my first love.