I am making paintings in a variety of mediums; from embroidery, appliqué, puffy paint, beadwork and glitter on fabric to more conventional paintings on stretched canvas. How these different materials inform one another continues to be of interest to me. Through stitching I have rediscovered lyrical, ornamental line and I am using a similar mark-making vocabulary in paintings on canvas and paper. Pencil and marker can mimic thread and thread can mimic a smudge of paint or the bleed of India ink. The many floral designs and patterns found on vintage tea towels and in embroidery books have become an inspiration. I am happy to be able to incorporate traditional womens’ crafts into a hybrid form while keeping the spirit of decorative, hands-on work through many types of sewing, appliqué and painterly mark-making and drawing.
I aim to create works that serve as jumping-off points to a particular mental/emotional territory - a Romantic headspace equal parts innocence, bliss, delight, and psychedelia. The headspace I refer to is related to the Sublime - something like a glimpse into consciousness larger than our own. It is a state of mind full of wonder and beauty that is elusive to find in our real day-to-day lives, and the sad truth is that my work is only a reminder of that place - an approximation for the real thing. My quest to find this impossible place is complicated, absurd, self-conscious and often funny.
