Artist Statement

I create emotional narrative portraits using discarded clothing as my medium. I breathe new life into old clothes; I give second chances and a fresh start to the worn, the torn, and the unwanted. Discarded clothes have been warmed by the humanness of former wearers; they have absorbed and stored the energy, emotions, and histories of people of all ages, genders, races, and ethnic backgrounds. My artwork speaks of the fragility and vulnerability of cloth and people. It reminds us that we are all “cut from the same cloth” – all human, all of us threads entangled together, all of us interconnected with each other and all of life.

My process dismantles the fabric of the world and pieces it together differently. Deconstruction is followed by reconstruction, a means to new possibilities, restoration, and repair. I repair a world torn apart; I explore the idea of repair as both a physical and symbolic act relating to individual as well as collective trauma. I assemble and join disparate strips of clothing to create a harmonious new whole which is more than the sum of its parts. I unite pieces of many colors, patterns, and textures; I commingle and interweave the clothing and energy of many others with my own. My work is a metaphor for we are one, all of us members of the human family. When we are intertwined and woven together we are stronger, more colorful, and more resilient.

This artwork is created slowly, lovingly, and laboriously through processes of hand cutting, hand stitching, hand hooking, hand embroidery, appliqué, collage, crochet, and soft sculpture. It raises awareness of the significance of human creativity in a time when artificial intelligence is gradually replacing work by humans. The power of the human touch and the human heart cannot be replaced by a machine. Because the need to touch, to feel textural and tactile comfort is amplified in the digital environment, human handwork is more important than ever.