Night Garden

My love affair with kimono started with a thrift store purchase of a beautiful but slightly damaged silk kimono. As a textile artist and surface designer, I recognize and respect the patience, precision and skill required to create such visually distinctive designs. I purchased my first kimono as a source of fabric that I could use in my own textile art. Since kimono are stitched together by hand, it is easy to disassemble the garment into lengths of silk. Overdyeing the silk quickly became an intriguing process of transformation that allows the original designs to remain. The dye reacts with the original colors to create a new textile that suits my desire to find innovative beauty in creating art that is characterized by vibrant colors and textures.

Flowers are a source of inspiration for me. The complex floral designs found in kimono have deep meanings, developed over centuries and holding intertwining influences. For example, the chrysanthemum symbolizes longevity, while peonies signal prosperity. I find these designs endlessly fascinating and unique, and it gives me great satisfaction to create new beauty and new uses for these very special old silks.