“Art is my life. It’s found it’s way into every aspect of my world. It’s what I think about, what I surround myself with; it’s what I do.”
I was bitten by the creative bug at a very young age. One of my earliest memories is of sitting at the kitchen table, carefully drawing the illustrations for the story I’d just written. Growing up in rural Michigan, there really wasn’t a lot to choose from as far as activities go. If I wasn’t up in a tree, on my bike, or catching bugs in a bell jar, I was drawing, painting and writing. Being an only child, my creativity was my constant companion and we had some great adventures!
By the time I was in high school, my passion for art had taken hold and I knew that was the direction I was going. I studied art and was able to spread my wings in the drama department by designing and creating costumes and props for various plays and musicals. I had the privilege of finishing high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan where I continued studying art and design. It was there that I first fell in love with textiles and was able to learn and grow as an artist as I rubbed shoulders with some amazingly talented peers. I graduated from Interlochen in 1985 and went on to study at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
My life as an artist has led me in many creative directions. I love fashion and have found a wonderful way to incorporate that into my artistic life by creating purses, clothing, jewelry and costumes. I was costume designer for three seasons with People Dancing Ann Arbor and designed costumes for Eastern Michigan University's Christmas Ballet. I pushed the boundaries of my “comfort zone” by creating a performance art piece that was presented as part of a modern dance program entitled “Natural Galaxy.” Both my costume design and performance art received excellent reviews and has been some of the most exciting work I’ve done so far.
The focus of my work, now, is purses. I love purses! It’s a girl thing... It allows me to express my creativity and explore the “funky” with an end product being a piece of art that can be carried every day. What could be better? My purses caught the eye of HGTV and I was featured on their show, “That’s Clever” with a purse I created for the show. I’ve been able to add more dimension to my purse design by creating buttons out of polymer clay specifically for each purse. Currently I’m working on a line of knitting patterns that include purses and sweaters.
I continue to enjoy painting and have designed and painted murals in homes, churches and schools in Michigan and Massachusetts. My work in watercolor has been the most personal. It’s served as my internal, artistic journal and has enabled me to explore more personal aspects of my life as a woman and a mother.
I currently live near Ann Arbor, Michigan, a wonderfully creative community, with my husband John, who is a talented designer and illustrator, and our three creative collaborations; our sons Jay, Foxx and Cosmo. We share our lives with a menagerie of furry creatures which include our 200 pound St. Bernard, five cats, a rabbit and a fish named Fred. Who could ask for more?