My work is a mosaic of fragments, collected experiences, information, and images. This mosaic is both ideological and visual. I like to begin with an idea that I allow to develop unhindered to encompass anything from the serious to the absurd. No thought is isolated. The simplest thought builds upon itself: layers and layers of connected thoughts in a succession of images linked by that same first thought, but multiplied in evolving variations. In my recent work, for example, I sometimes begin with just a word, but already this word comes with many meanings and connotations. Then, I make a connection, a thin bridge, between each word and its images, and other perhaps abstract and veiled yet related ideas. My vessels are often labyrinths of intricate wordplay. I want the words to be read as fleeting and visual impressions that interact with the other stitched images. The figures in my work in combination with the words form a running commentary.

My vessels are basically quilted, but I approach quilting from a different point of view from other artists. I quilt first, using the layered structure of quilting to make a thick, yet malleable material to use for construction and as a strong background for my imagery. As I work to build up the surface, I am looking for a complexity of color, composition and idea, using fabric and stitching techniques to achieve this goal. I stitch as if I am drawing, overlapping layers of lines, and I use appliqué to make large blocks of color and shape. I work the imagery on flat panels, and then construct the three-dimensional forms in a technique similar to slab building in ceramic sculpture except, of course, I am lacing up the edges with thread.

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