Statement

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My work in fiber arts reflects the constant changes I experience in my personal and spiritual life. I use my work to explore the forces of nature and the mysteries of the soul. For over twenty-five years I have designed Costumes for Theatre, Dance, Ice Skating and Stunt Shows. I had long been interested in dyeing, discharging color and manipulating fabric surfaces as an integral part of my design work.

Then, in 1986, while doing research for a production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, I ran across a book on the kimonos and robes of Itchiku Kubota. I began research into the dying techniques of shibori and tsujigahana. I incorporated some of the shibori techniques into the fabric designs for that production and I was hooked. I discovered something more than just dying fabric. There was a mystery revealed when the cloth was unraveled - a spontaneity and magic in the colors and shapes. I was able to dive into fabric in ways I had never experienced before. It was like awakening from sleep with the memory of a beautiful dream in my hands.

Around the same time, I began to experience changes in my personal life as well. Over time, I found that my exploration of fabric art was somehow reflecting and enhancing the discoveries I was making about myself. Unraveling the cloth to reveal the beautiful things
that happen when dye enters the cloth was akin to my experience of rediscovering myself.
It was like finding God each time I gave into the mystery of the process.

Color - the choosing and mixing of dyes - has become an important and defining part of my process. Rather than planning my color palettes, I try to work purely off instinct and intuition, allowing the colors and combinations to spring out of the process rather than imposing any one idea or schemata on each project.

In the last nine years I have pursued fiber arts independently from Theatre and Costume design. As I explore new possibilities in my work as an artist away from the theatrical arena, I have found an essential expression of my spirit and soul. The soft edges, shapes and shadows left in the fabric, the colors that resonate with the essence of the life experience, the textures that reflect the dynamism and sensuality of life’s richness all create dynamic, graceful and evocative statements that inspire me to create personal and expressive pieces of wearable art and textiles.

Hermia

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Artist Statement