Artist Statement

For many years, I have enjoyed flowers and the art of pressing flowers. Being a long-time quilter and seamstress, I found a way to include stitching in my art. Recently, I have learned how to make paper. I find that combining these three mediums: flowers, stitching and paper, to form a picture is very addictive. My Catholic upbringing, combined with being a mother, educator and gardener have given me lots of ideas for my art.

Flowers

Flowers have a natural beauty and strength. They are ancient organisms that have helped to feed and populate the world. They remind me that a short life can be well lived. I have enjoyed the science of pressing and drying them. I never know exactly how they will emerge from between the drying sheets. I have enjoyed the challenge of assembling these small shapes into ideas of beauty, thoughtfulness and activism.

Paper

Our paper making group uses natural fibers to make pulp and then screens to pull the sheets into paper. It is slow and old art and in this fast digital age of ours, it seems almost obsolete. Historically, paper has documented so much of civilization. Personally, paper has brought me images that have evoked laughter and tears, words that stirred anger and joy, and stories that brought forth fear and wonder. Paper is an ancient medium full of magic.

Mother Mary

I was raised Catholic, and in the church, Mother Mary was always a beacon of hope, kindness and feminism. I loved her goodness and power as a divine being who would look out for me. I don’t think Mary had much to say on the church’s rules on women’s reproductive rights because there were none. Maturity and life experiences have led me to disagree with the Catholic Church and I do believe that women have the right to bear children on their own terms in their best interests. It is said that Mother Mary on several occasions would whisper to Jesus and ask him to intercede for the poor, the vulnerable, the frightened. I think she would be an advocate for women’s reproductive rights today. She would not want women to suffer.

I have created a series of Pro-choice Mary’s that embody this thought.

The Uterus

Women of my generation realize that the uterus is something to celebrate. Uteruses have populated the world for millennia. It is an organ that has proved to be strong, resilient and intelligent. It is something to call our Very Own. Ours. Mine. We make decisions for our own uteruses. After the overturning of Roe V Wade, we are aware of how precarious women’s rights are. Women’s uterus autonomy depends on the people who create laws and those who destroy them. This is time to be vigilant and a time to speak out on our own terms. This is not a time to be quiet.

I have created a series of uteruses to evoke greater awareness.