Life Yarn
This midwest born "girl" has always had the creative urge whether living in Ohio, Louisiana or California.  It seems like I've been weaving all my life but it's only been a short 40+ years.  In between weaving and working in public schools with communicatively challenged children I've been married to my middle school sweet heart for over 50 years and have two talented and successful daughters, who along with their husbands, have given us delightful granddaughters. 
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Now from my Napa Valley studio I continue to weave an occasional scarf or necklace, many tapestries and weft face rugs using the shaft switching technique.  I'm primarily self taught but have benefited greatly from the excellent teachers in classes and workshops and the textile books that focused on color, design and technique.  I am a happy and willing student in the "What if" continuing education school.

Artistic Process
​​​My art can come from the microscopic images of butterflies or flower to broad landscapes of mountains, fields or water.  There is really nothing off limits to inspire me.  I take photos or sketch ideas that dance around in my head.  I can get totally lost in those planning hours of designing before I even sit down to weave at the loom.

My goal is to make art that is dimensional, a color-grabber, and something that could only be done with weaving.

I sometimes begin with crayon color blending exercises since I think the crayon on paper more closely resembles what happens when different colored yarns criss-cross.  When the  colors appear that will express the idea, mood or emotion I'm looking for, the question then is what weaving technique will I choose. 

​One of my favorite steps come next when I make piles of different colored yarns to be used.  I weave with many strands of various yarns in multiple and unusual color combinations.  After warping the loom, the fun part of the actual weaving begins.  Frequently as I weave the piece, it takes over and leads me to places I hadn't planned to go. ​