Artist Statement

I’m descended from three generations of artists including a great grandmother who specialized in crepe paper flowers. I thought the art gene had skipped me. When I turned 50, I was surprised to become an artist myself.

My garden and neighboring urban spaces of Chicago provide constant inspiration: the shapes of leaves, the lines of trees, or the drip of an inky cap mushroom. I’m attracted to the interaction of shapes and surfaces in space, and this leads me to create mixed media sculpture.

My pieces are handmade and hand cut. I combine luxury materials with unusual techniques. I use imported crepe paper from Italy and Germany, and my silk fabric comes from specialty vendors. I pick up unique branches by the roadside and source blocks of black walnut from carpenters in Indiana.

The complex shaping in my petals and leaves comes from rare millinery techniques that use hot tools. My paper flower skills were greatly developed by classes with artist Tiffanie Turner. Resin, wirework, Irish crochet, and knitting are also incorporated into my pieces.

I try to represent the spirit or feeling I get from a botanical. Sometimes this leads to playful manipulation of the subject. I may alter the size of an insect to show the perspective of a giant ant, or communicate the spikiness of a leaf with prickly wire. Whimsical landscapes and enchanted flowers flow from this creative process.

Pre-pandemic, I was a university educator. Now I am a librarian who teaches, among other things, crafts. This lifetime of teaching now includes botanical art. My workshops emphasize natural observation; awareness of color, shape, and texture; and finding joy in being a beginner.