inspiration comes to me in many forms. an inner or outer landscape, a poem that confirms or shifts my perspective, resonant words, symbols and energy deeply felt. wherever the muse appears, the use of natural dyes, earth minerals and textiles to create art is a joy making process for me. while sewing is my first love, with collage work, i find great freedom to experiment with shapes and sizes that sewing does not readily allow and a floodgate of new possibilities open up. i love both processes, clean closed seams and raw cut exposed edges, both metaphors for life… switching back and forth stimulates my creative center ever more. the earth mineral collages are made using earth minerals pigments that i blend individually to make custom colors in a base of plant acrylic. i paint multiple layers of mixed colors on flax linen or organic cotton fabrics. once dried, the shapes are hand cut and collaged on wooden panels using natural adhesives. a coat of plant based varnish is applied to the finished work and framed, ready to hang.

many moons ago

earth mineral plant acrylic painted organic cotton & linen collaged on wood panel

20 x 16 (set in 21 x 17 wood frame)

Moon

The moon is full tonight

an illustration for sheet music,

an image in Matthew Arnold

glimmering on the English Channel,

or a ghost over a smoldering battlefield

in one of the history plays.

It's as full as it was

in that poem by Coleridge

where he carries his year-old son

into the orchard behind the cottage

and turns the baby's face to the sky

to see for the first time

the earth's bright companion,

something amazing to make his crying seem small.

And if you wanted to follow this example,

tonight would be the night

to carry some tiny creature outside

and introduce him to the moon.

And if your house has no child,

you can always gather into your arms

the sleeping infant of yourself,

as I have done tonight,

and carry him outdoors,

all limp in his tattered blanket,

making sure to steady his lolling head

with the palm of your hand.

And while the wind ruffles the pear trees

in the corner of the orchard

and dark roses wave against a stone wall,

you can turn him on your shoulder

and walk in circles on the lawn

drunk with the light.

You can lift him up into the sky,

your eyes nearly as wide as his,

as the moon climbs high into the night.

~ Billy Collins ~

note: please hang away from direct exposure to harsh light (natural/artificial) as well as direct heat source and areas of high moisture