ENCAUSTIC l ACRYLIC l MASKS l TAPESTRIES
I met WILLOW in 1984 and we fell deeply in love. I began dreaming of willow and how I might use this new discovery. As an artist, I was weaving tapestries, so began by weaving the willow into the tapestries. Ideas came and went and eventually led to combining bundles of branches together with yarn. Very unusual for it’s time, public acceptance was slow but steady. The use of natural elements as art was not common. I had great faith in the work and my audience and skill continued to grow. In 1994, the Smithsonian Museum honored me by adding one of my willow pieces to it’s American Craft Collection and I was featured in “Profiles: Who’s Who in American Crafts”.
Today it’s commonplace to see natural elements turned into art and I feel proud to have been one of the formothers of this conception. I participated in the American Craft Council shows and sold my work to galleries across the country during these years.
I continue my WILLOW work at my Whidbey Island studio. It is constructed from farmed, peeled and dyed willow, assembled with cords, woven metals, wire and leather.