Artist Statement

I create emotional narrative portraits using discarded clothing as my medium. I breathe new life into the 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 tells stories about what it means to be human. It speaks of the fragility and vulnerability of cloth and people, reminds us that we are all “cut from the same cloth,” all of us threads entangled together, all of us interconnected with each other and all of life.

My process is a material expression of the deconstruction, reconstruction, and transformation we are witnessing in our society. There is a breaking down and tearing apart of the old clothes and then reconstruction, a means to new possibilities, restoration and repair. I dismantle the fabric of the world and piece it together differently. 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.

I create my emotional narrative portraits slowly, lovingly, and laboriously through processes of hand cutting, hand stitching, hand hooking, hand embroidery, collage, crochet, appliqué, soft sculpture, and more. My artwork 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, artwork created entirely with human hands and human feelings will remain alive into the future. Human handwork is more important now than ever.