Raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the daughter of university professors, I was blessed with a mother and grandmothers who taught me to sew, embroider, quilt, knit, and crochet from a very young age. The message that useful things could, and should, also be beautiful was to be seen everywhere in the homes of my family. The decorative arts adorned our walls, beds, and tables. When it came to these items, handmade was viewed as better than "store-bought" and was always praised, valued, and cherished. Creating for the sheer joy of it was also an important part of what my family believed.

As a child and teenager, I studied music quite seriously, but upon entering college I found my interest shifting to photography and art history... which are about as financially rewarding as music! I spent many years developing my photographic skills and artistic way of seeing. However, although photography (both film and digital) still plays an important role in my creative life, I now often work in the textile format. Mixed media collage, digital imaging, and painting (oil, acylic and watercolor) are also nestled in my creative toolbox.

My photographic work has been published in periodicals and books over the past 15 years, including three photos in "A Rivertop Journal," the most recent work from nature writer, poet, and activist Walt Franklin, and a textile piece was selected for inclusion in "Creative Quilting, The Journal Quilt Project," a retrospective book on The Journal Quilt Project, sponsored by International Quilt Festival. My artwork can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

I am a participating artist each year in some special fund-raising exhibits and auctions. See my blog for updates and information on how you can acquire some of my work while also benefitting some excellent organizations.

My career path has been varied. I have worked in photography, emergency medical services, music, teaching, archival management, a school of engineering, a special collections library, art, and a couple other shorter term things. In another creative arena, I am a published poet and essayist. I prefer to think of myself as multifaceted... not unfocused!

Gardening, technology, cooking and baking, vernacular photography, reading, sundials, kaleidoscopes, hiking, animals, nature, and chaos and complex adaptive systems theories are among my many other interests.

From January 2000 to December 2009, I was an administrator of an international non-profit in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I now work as a full-time artist in Austin, Texas.


I'd love to hear from you. Please drop me a note! You may also wish to subscribe to my Quarterly Art News, sent on each solstice and equinox with news of interest to my collectors and supporters. Or you may Follow me on Twitter and Connect with me on Facebook.


Memberships: Austin Fiber Artists, Studio Art Quilt Associates, Surface Design Association