rugweaver, beadweaver
More recently I have expanded my work into a new medium--beadweaving. Like the rugs my beaded structures are explorations of geometric shapes, but with the addition of a 3rd dimension. Here too, I'm beginning to be recognized and to appear in more prestigious venues.
My studio is in Panama City, Florida, where it shares space with the sailboat business my husband and I own. Stop by any weekday, and see me and my work.
As a designer, my first love is color, and it is the starting point for all my rugs. Some designs are enhanced by controlled, subtle shifts in color, while others seem to call for a more spontaneous, grab-another-color approach. But always, color and color relationships are central. I use geometric designs to play upon and bring out these color relationships.
As a craftsman, I strive to create a functional, long wearing rug. It is important to me to know that my rugs will outlast me. This goal governs my choice of materials. The weft, which is the visible part of the rug, is wool. Wool has been the fiber of choice for rug weavers for thousands of years, because it dyes beautifully, and wears so well in use. I hand dye all my yarns, both to insure maximum color control and to achieve a subtle abrash, or color variation, which is unavailable in commerially dyed yarns. I also use specialized techniques like weft ikat, gradation dying and others where appropriate. The warp, which is stretched on the loom, is natural linen, which I import from Belgium. It is not visible in most of the rugs, but it gives them the firmness and stability that are so important for a long-lasting rug.
While weaving, I work with 2 colors of wool at a time, in a technique called shaft switching, which lets me place each color where I want it in each woven row. This gives me a freedom of design approaching that achieved in tapestry weaving, while at the same time producing a much heavier, sturdier product. My designs are geometric, sometimes wholly modern, sometimes drawing on ancient and tribal sources, but executed so as to have a contemporary feel. I am inspired by the many traditions of weaving, but always with a view to producing something fresh and original. It is that goal that keeps me at my loom, creating, experimenting, sometimes failing, but always learning, and finding great satisfaction along the way.
Panama City, FL 32401
850-763-1028 nights & weekends
