As an artist I experience color, pattern, and fabric as multi-sensory---they evoke places, smells, tastes, sounds, and textures from places I’ve been and the world around me.  Shibori dyeing, botanical printing, and felting are my mediums of expression.

Shibori is about serendipity---the wonder of new, beautiful patterns waiting to be discovered.  I build on the traditions of Japanese shibori and then make each technique my own. The magic begins with a concept, a palette, the exploration of a technique---and often results in an unexpected surprise. The way color behaves constantly inspires and seduces me. The term shibori comes from Japan and refers to the manipulation of fabric into a three-dimensional bundle that helps to form a resist and then applying color. Most of my shibori work utilizes synthetic dyes.

An interest in botanical printing led me to an exploration of mordants and natural dyes. Botanical printing has opened my eyes to the beauty of nature. Long meditative walks to collect materials are a wonderful way to start a day’s work in the studio and to learn the names and growing habits of local plants and trees.

Felting adds another dimension to my creative toolbox. I use wet felting and nuno felting.  Wet felting is a technique that manipulates wool fiber (roving) by adding warm soapy water and agitating the fibers until they link together into one solid piece of cloth.  Nuno felting is a form of wet felting where the fibers are laid on a silk base before felting. I love the challenge of manipulating felt into 3-D forms and the endless possibilities of combining the felting process with shibori dyeing and botanical printing.  

A 40-year career in fashion education at Mount Mary University wove the fabric of my retirement. Travel opportunities, an interest in textiles, and a well-honed sensitivity to color feed my creativity—retirement has given me the gift of time. 

SK Fiber Studio in Saint Francis, WI affords me the space to pursue my passion for design and the textile arts.  Just as mentors have generously shared their knowledge with me, I have merged my two careers by offering classes in shibori dyeing and nuno felting.  The reciprocal relationship between teacher and student enriches and nourishes my ideas and affirms the endless possibilities of my craft.  I teach at the Paris American Academy in July of each year and offer classes at my studio by appointment for groups of 3-5 people.

I am eternally grateful for the generosity of the dyeing and felting community, particularly this group of artists with whom I have studied:

  • Sharon Kilfoyle

  • Linda Illuminardi

  • Jane Callender

  • Caroline Nixon

  • Fiona Duthie

  • Ana Lisa Hedstrom

  • Sharon Sorken

  • Jane Dunnewold

  • Elizabeth Viguie Culshaw

  • Nicola Brown