Hair

I am in a state of quandary about hair.  This is a bowl I made completely sewn and fabricated out of the hair of a alpaca.  I sewed and stabilized the hair and then embellished the bowl with golden threads.


  Hair is a dichotomy.  People adore and cherish it.  Many men without it feel not as attractive.   Women with long and lustrous locks of hair are valued in society,   Then if we were to find spare hair lying about on the corner of a room, we are disgusted and horrified.  I don't understand this.  How can one value hair and be so disgusted by it at the same time.  If we find a single hair in our food- we assume it has defiled the entire plate and insist it be thrown away.   I wanted to make a piece of art that would question this dichotomy of love and hate .  I hope I accomplished what I set out to do.

Geisha

I am amazed by the art and beauty of the geisha and maiko of Japan. From the make-up to the way they dress has always fascinated me. I got to see these women and they are so beautiful in their unique ways.
I wonder about the identity and the sense of self. They virtually hide behind the make-up. The nape of the back of the neck is considered very sensual and the only flesh that is really exposed in their world.
So many women in so many cultures hide their real identity through their make-up and clothing. Why is that?
I work with the antique pieces of their clothes..reworking, re-fashioning, making art out of it all,trying to bring a sense of purpose and dignity to what they had in their past.
I hold the pieces in my hands and think to myself "where has this cloth been, what young girl was wearing this, did she dance to music at an emperors court, or did she suffer at the hands of someone wearing this cloth."
I always pay a sense of honor to the cloth and its original story.

Life of a Single Artist: My Work

Life of a Single Artist: My Work

My Work

I decided to put my dreams into a bowl. I dream in Tessellation. Repeating geometric patterns occupy my mind at night. These bowls were made with treating 100 percent silk caps that were hand dyed. They are so transclucent that they seem to let the light in and out of them. I love my own work- is that conceited? I hope not.

If this bowl could contain my dream it would be about returning to Japan- to the place which holds my heart and soul. So much of my work is reflective about the experiences of the Japanese geisha-

If you dream- do you dream in color too?

Graffiti

I was traveling alone on the Long Island Rail Road and slowly making my way into Penn Station. Slowly the motion of the train eases my mind and I am lulled by the passing of life and the accoutrements of middle class suburbia pass along at a steady clip.
You get to see the backyards of so much of life. Pools now covered with remnants of the ice and snow. Perhaps wrecks and shells of cars pass by, as does all the backyards of so many Lives. Each person has a story to tell. We all do. As the city gets a bit closer, the graffitti starts to blanket the passing rail cars and empty buildings. The inside of the bridges become the palette for the street artist. I am sometimes amazed at the expression of the street artist; even their sense of creativity can not be harnessed. I wonder if they were given a studio and a blank canvas would the bridges and empty factory bricks still serve to inspire them? Is it the destruction of the public property that entices them or just the inner desire to express themselves?

What exactly is an Artist ?

Perhaps your wondering what exactly is Fiber Art.  It is the taking of cloth and manipulating it-dying it-sewing it-tearing it and making it all something unique and beautiful.  I have always loved art and felt I was chosen to be an artist by a force that is higher than the self.  To do art is something one doesn't really have a choice about.  Have you ever questioned the obligations inherent in being an artist?