Artist's Statement

My involvement is with the tactile, sensuous aspects of materials that are often non-traditional. The source of my inspiration is a chemical reaction that occurs when compounds are mixed; or the changes that take place over time as an object weathers, exposed to the elements. Found objects acquire new identities and metaphorical meaning through this alchemical process. The work becomes akin to a relic that bears the imprint of time. Each piece is a documentation of my surrender to its daemon or spirit. As I add layer upon layer, building a textural surface, I am simultaneously unearthing an abstraction of my autobiography: the work is an external metaphor for an internal process; it attests to my own emotional, spiritual and intellectual journey.

In incorporating stitching into my work, I am reclaiming not only women's craft but a tradition in my own family: my grandmother was a dressmaker and some of my earliest memories are of my mother at her sewing machine.

Much of my work goes through a process of "wounding" and "healing." The "wounding" is a violation: I slash the canvas or paper; or burn portions of it with acid or blow torch. I then repair the "wound" with stitching: an amelioration of pain and loss that is part of the human condition.

On occasion, in reaction to the intensity of my usual process, I dip a large brush in Sumi ink, and trance-like, let the ink flow across the paper or canvas evoking Chinese calligraphy.