As a mother, I daily walk the tightrope between the joy and pain of self-discovery, keeping watch, and facilitating the discoveries of others. As a woman and an artist, I honor this vantage point in my work. My latest body of work, Nesting, explores the textures of relationships and the fibers of family. Needle felted and wet felted wool embellished with twigs, paper, string and feathers lends itself to the creation of the nest, or home. It is from the nest that we all eventually stretch our wings to the hope of who we can be. My work looks at the successes, anxieties and failures of this process.
I work two- and three-dimensionally, connecting with everything I do through touch. I have recently begun working primarily from raw wool. Sorting, washing and carding the fiber by hand creates more opportunities to imprint my energy on the materials. The more opportunities I have to put myself into a piece, the more authentic my expression through it will be.