Catch Me If You Can

Roadrunners are mischievous and intelligent birds. This life-size quilted roadrunner was inspired by the playful creature who frequented my Las Vegas backyard and enjoyed teasing my cat and then running away. I imagine the fleet-footed bird laughing as my cat tried but always failed to catch him.

This cloth sculpture is adorned by individually quilted feathers, lace, buttons and paint. His yarn-wrapped wire legs dart along a quilted fabric "turf" that has been strewn with bits of string, twigs and hand-embroidery to mimic desert terrain.

I've always been fascinated by birds. As a textile sculptor, I enjoy molding, stitching, stuffing and twisting colorful bits of fabric and wire into bird shapes and embellishing them with a variety of mixed media. These crazy critters seem to have minds of their own and I never know how they'll turn out. Each completed work is as much a surprise to me as it is to the viewer.