Most often my ideas come in response to a striking image: an unexpected splash of color, the play of light and shadow on the pure geometries of New Mexico’s aged adobe walls, or the awesome sweep of a desert landscape.

I dye my own yarns in a palette based on Southwestern colors: rust-reds, golden yellows, soft chamisa greens, and the ever-changing array of blues and violets that wheel overhead. I favor strong contrasts: light and dark, bright and dull, angles against curves, serenity against turbulence.

Biography:

I am both a poet and a visual artist, with an MFA in poetry from Vermont College of Art. I am, as well, the beneficiary of generations of fiber-artist women skilled in knitting, sewing, embroidery, needlepoint, and rug hooking.

It was when I moved to New Mexico in 2001 that I discovered tapestry. Quickly captivated by the slow, meditative process of working weft through warp, and the endless variations of color and shade a weaver can achieve in the dye pot and on the loom, I have never looked back.

My primary teacher and mentor was James Koehler, from 2002 until his untimely death in 2011. I have been fortunate as well to take workshops in weaving, dying and design with Robin Reider, Jean Pierre Larochette, Yael Lurie, Susan Iverson, Archie Brennan, Susan Martin-Maffei, Mary Zicafoose, and Jane Kidd, among others.

Memberships

American Tapestry Alliance

High Desert Tapestry Alliance

Las Aranas Spinners and Weavers Guild

Las Tejedoras Fiber Arts Guild