As a child of the 60s and 70s, I learned how to sew, knit, crochet, macramé and embroider. Paper tole was also popular, and the exposure to various materials fueled my path toward fiber art.
While studying calligraphy in my early thirties, I became fascinated with mixed media letterforms and experimented in fiber, wood and metal. Calligraphy led to book arts and I began playing with more sculptural forms.
An attempt to develop an embossing product in the 1990s helped me discover that I wanted to be the artist the business was targeting, and not its CEO. Working in graphic design also taught me that I needed a creative outlet to fully express myself, rather than my clients.
In 2006, I completed a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at Reed College. My goal was to change the brain I had for making art with an entirely written coursework. Although I took no art classes, I intended to create pieces independently throughout my studies and related to class content. Life interrupted those plans, though, and only a few pieces were completed (see the Nuclear Gallery).
I continued making art while pursuing other career interests, eventually working in website design, healthcare information technology and solar consulting. In each, I employed attention to detail, data analysis and information design, blending analytics with aesthetics.
