Artist's Statement

I am influenced greatly by the world around me, from the many shades of green of the northern forests, to the blue moods of Lake Superior, to the pristine Manitowish River that meanders outside my door.

As a fiber artist, I work with textural and visual elements in all of my weavings. Rock art from the Great Lakes Basin to ancient Irish petroglyphs have inspired many of my recent designs. I have interpreted megalithic structures, cultural legends, and Celtic knot work, many of these containing elements of sacred symbols and sites.

Traditional fiber patterns from many cultures have also influenced my work. I have great respect for Frank Lloyd Wright, and some of his design elements flow through my weavings.

Custom-designed rugs and wall pieces which focus on shaft-switched blockweave designs create the core of my work. This style of weaving produces double-sided pieces in which the colors reverse positions on either side. I enjoy working with the positive/negative images that this process creates. This style of weaving also allows for more freedom of design as the patterns need not be repeated within a weaving. Wool and linen are my staple materials.

I also design and weave in multi-colored 12 harness taquete, which is a weft-faced compound tabby weave. This is woven with a four end threading unit where the binding ends alter with the design ends. I weave taquete patterns on a 12 harness compu-dobby loom, in widths from two-to-ten feet by various lengths. This weaving style lends itself more easily to intricate patterning and an interplay of colors.

My most recent work is designing and weaving on a jacquard loom, a process in which the weaver can control every individual warp end throughout the weaving. This allows for the creation of tremendously detailed images, much like the control of a painter, giving the artist greater freedom to create weavings with realism and depth. With the jacquard process, I weave complex, detailed, multicolored images.