The Storm Before the Calm, #3 Artwork

Vivid colors, textures, striking design and throwing things together that shouldn’t go together have always been loves of mine. I have an MFA in scenic design for theatre, television and film. I worked as a designer and a scenic artist before turning to textiles. As a scenic artist we worked large and bold because the set is usually about ten to thirty feet away from it’s first audience member. Small strokes don’t have much of a place in that world. When I turned to textiles, I carried a lot of those same techniques into my work even thought it was on a smaller scale. My art expresses the love for that strong, colorful, bold aesthetic through textile collages used to create the main design, and free-motion quilting to add all the finer details. Occasionally I use some hand embellishment through embroidery and beading. Traditionally, quilting hasn't really been accepted into the fine art world, but I feel there is a place for it there and have worked to elevate it to a point where my quilted pieces absolutely belong next to the finest paintings in any gallery. Quilting (and sewing in general) was once seen as women's work and therefore not valued in the fine art world that was largely male dominated for centuries. I use many of these quilting techniques to create dramatic works of fine art, full of detail and subtlety that give depth and make the viewer want to stop and spend time searching out all of the many nuances of the piece. I draw on inspiration from my own life experiences and observations and also from nature, with an emphasis on the amazing native plants and animals in Texas.