I grew up in a creative household surrounded by original artworks. My mother appeared unafraid to try anything, and my father practiced black-and-white photography. I was enamored with photography at a young age and got my first camera in elementary school. I enjoyed puzzles of all kinds, and when I had no new jigsaw puzzles, I would turn them over and do them from the back. I studied math at Purdue University as it was a form of puzzle. I began quilting to use my photographs on fabric to make memento quilts and soon saw the potential of quilts as an art form and wanted to break out of the rectangular formats of quilt blocks and photographs and saw the puzzle of how to integrate photographs into art quilts.
My process is to pick a subject and to puzzle out what techniques and materials can best be utilized to push boundaries, materials, and design to culminate in a unique expression. Pushing the definition of quilt and exploring the use of nontraditional materials is often an exciting part of the process for me. Some explorations are printing photos on nontraditional materials like leather, metal, silk, and vintage lace. Other explorations are using rust in a controlled manner to rust designs of my choosing rather than serendipitously. I also enjoy exploring sheers and layering, as well as integrating hand embroidery. An important part of my design is to incorporate visual design elements that are visible at both distances and near so that a viewer is rewarded with details when they take the time to look closely.
Life's Paths XXVI
43" x 50"
2021
