Artist Statement

Art skipped my generation, or so I thought. As the descendant of three generations of artists—including a great-grandmother who made crepe paper flowers—I didn't find my own artistic voice until I turned 50. Desperate for color during a bleak Chicago winter, my creativity finally took physical form in botanical sculpture with paper, wire, and textiles.

My garden and neighboring urban spaces of Chicago provide constant inspiration, but my art also explores whimsical forest-floor dreamscapes and ancient plant life. A recent interest in sustainable materials has inspired the use of paper grocery bags to create luxurious flowers. As a botanical artist, equity in access to both nature and art are concerns that I'm addressing through artistic collaborations and free paper art classes offered via YouTube.

I am a new artist without formal training. Pre-pandemic, I was a university educator. Now I am a librarian who teaches, among other things, arts and crafts to the community. My workshops emphasize natural observation; awareness of color, shape, and texture; and finding joy in being a beginner. Perhaps my own most joyful moment as a new artist was to win an honorable mention in the Cicada Art Show at the Illinois State Fair in 2024. In 2025, my work won a Curator’s Choice award at the Wicker Park Fine Art Fair.

I am grateful to have learned new techniques from paper artists Tiffanie Turner, Amity Libby, Aidan Anne Frierson, and Dave King, and textile artist Svetlana Faulkner. In 2026 my teaching practice has grown to include classes offered at the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Morton Arboretum.