I live in Topsail Beach, North Carolina, with my partner, Jim, and our dog. We moved here two years ago from southeastern Pennsylvania after exploring various areas in the southeast to escape the northeast winters. As its name implies, Topsail Beach is on the coast. It’s a sleepy little village of about 400 full-time residents in the winter, and a population that swells during the summer months. It’s a quaint Mayberry-like town on a barrier island with gorgeous, pristine beaches.
I was born in the Midwest, but spent my formative years in New Mexico. My father was a scientist at the lab in Los Alamos, and my mother was a stay-at-home mom. I grew up exploring the canyons and mountains around our home in Los Alamos, snow skiing and ice skating most weekends during the winter and chasing lizards and collecting pinion nuts in the summers. I expect that my love for nature was born during this time. I can clearly recall the feel of a soft pine forest floor and the wonderful aroma of ponderosa pines of my youth. As a teenager, we moved back to Nebraska, and I later moved east to Pennsylvania, where I married and raised my sons.
I am a maker. Primarily a book artist, but I “dabble” in several other areas, everything from basket weaving, jewelry, fiber arts…even tying flies. My grandmother was a fiber artist, although she would never have referred to herself that way. She made quilts and dolls, afghans and samplers. She and my grandfather also collected vintage furniture and other useful old things that they incorporated into their home. They were the keepers of the family treasures, and some of those treasures now live in my home. They were also the keepers of the stories, which seem to get diluted with the generations. I hold on to the ones I remember, making notes and attaching tags with abbreviated tales of an item’s origin, so that my children and grandchildren will know the history of these treasures.
Before my artistic career, I was a stay-at-home mom who did some sewing, some samplers, a quilt or two, and painted some folk art during the 80s. After my kids grew and my husband and I separated, I went back to school and worked in communications for a while, doing a bit of photography and some art on the side.
A combination of things led to my immersion into a creative life after years of things being on a slow simmer. But it was also the inspiration that came flooding in from everywhere once I discovered the Internet and blogging. I took a few workshops, met some like-minded friends, and really, as corny as it sounds, my life changed.
As for my evolution as an artist, I think that it’s the creating that has given me confidence to think of myself as an artist. What started as a hobby grew into a business. It turns out that by making books that appealed to me, I was creating work that also resonated with others. By following my urges, the art evolves with my interests, my history, exposure, and my knowledge. I never really know for sure what is going to inspire me next, and that’s the fun of it.
Old books fascinate me. Beyond the stories written on the pages, I imagine the stories of the people who held them before me. The notes scribbled on the margins or tucked between the pages. I love finding pressed flowers or photos slipped into an old book. The older and more beat up, the more they spark my imagination. I began making books myself about fifteen years ago. My favorite item in my studio is a vintage book press that a good friend gave me. It’s a focal point that appeals to my love of antiques, and it’s useful. Nothing I like more than a vintage item that looks great and can still be used. The other favorite thing is my studio dog—Scout—although she can be found in other rooms of the house as well. She’s the supervisor and the soul of my space.
I created a series that I called “Woodsmoke,” which was born out of wistfulness for summer camps, marshmallows, muted conversations coming from campfires across the lake, and the smell of wood smoke lingering. My botanically printed pages go so well with this theme. Now that we’ve moved to a small beach community, I can feel my focus shifting to our new life and the things that capture my attention here.
I dove into my creative life, heart first, and have never looked back.
Most of the books I make have metal covers. They start as a sheet of brass as the base substrate. I melt and manipulate solder and different elements to create the covers, adding photographs under resin or stones to the front. I might add a quote or a name to the cover as well. Inside of the covers, I wrap signatures (a folded nest of papers) of blank pages with wrappers that have been botanically printed. Often, they are ecodyed, a process of coaxing color from leaves onto paper or fabric by cooking the two together. Other times, I use ink to transfer the prints of leaves onto the paper. Sometimes, I will rust my papers instead. The books are bound by hand using a variety of binding techniques. A Coptic stitch, first developed in the second century by the Egyptian Copts, is one of my favorites because it is beautiful to look at and it allows all the pages to open fully and lay flat.
I don’t really think that I have had many challenges creatively. I create for myself and am simply gratified when others appreciate the work. I teach fairly often, and travel can be a challenge. Getting all the pieces from A to B, not forgetting anything, leaving time for delays. I tend to wait until the last minute to get things ready, and it always takes me longer than I expect it will. I’ve currently got several irons in the fire, which is just the way I like it. I belong to a fiber arts collective in Wilmington, NC, and I’m developing a piece that will be on display at a local studio this fall. It will be something out of my normal wheelhouse. I like the challenge of creating something different. I love the metal books I’ve been creating for years, but I also love fiber arts and am working on a fresh body of work that will reflect my new surroundings.
I think it’s a blessing to be happy right where you are.
I’ve hit a happy plateau—a sweet spot if you will—where I’m comfortable and busy. I plan to ride this wave for a while. At some point, I’ll teach less and concentrate on developing new work. But for now, I’m content where I am. Not to be reaching for the next great thing, but rather enjoying the view from exactly where I am. I am already living my dream goal with my art. I get to make things that I love, I can share them with others, and I hear nice things about my work. Sometimes, people even pay me for it.
MINIBOOKCHARMS
My books often begin with a feeling that I want to express, nostalgia really.
I live in Topsail Beach, North Carolina, with my partner, Jim, and our dog. We moved here two years ago from southeastern Pennsylvania after exploring various areas in the southeast to escape the northeast winters. As its name implies, Topsail Beach is on the coast. It’s a sleepy little village of about 400 full-time residents in the winter, and a population that swells during the summer months. It’s a quaint Mayberry-like town on a barrier island with gorgeous, pristine beaches.
I was born in the Midwest, but spent my formative years in New Mexico. My father was a scientist at the lab in Los Alamos, and my mother was a stay-at-home mom. I grew up exploring the canyons and mountains around our home in Los Alamos, snow skiing and ice skating most weekends during the winter and chasing lizards and collecting pinion nuts in the summers. I expect that my love for nature was born during this time. I can clearly recall the feel of a soft pine forest floor and the wonderful aroma of ponderosa pines of my youth. As a teenager, we moved back to Nebraska, and I later moved east to Pennsylvania, where I married and raised my sons.
I am a maker. Primarily a book artist, but I “dabble” in several other areas, everything from basket weaving, jewelry, fiber arts…even tying flies. My grandmother was a fiber artist, although she would never have referred to herself that way. She made quilts and dolls, afghans and samplers. She and my grandfather also collected vintage furniture and other useful old things that they incorporated into their home. They were the keepers of the family treasures, and some of those treasures now live in my home. They were also the keepers of the stories, which seem to get diluted with the generations. I hold on to the ones I remember, making notes and attaching tags with abbreviated tales of an item’s origin, so that my children and grandchildren will know the history of these treasures.
Before my artistic career, I was a stay-at-home mom who did some sewing, some samplers, a quilt or two, and painted some folk art during the 80s. After my kids grew and my husband and I separated, I went back to school and worked in communications for a while, doing a bit of photography and some art on the side.
A combination of things led to my immersion into a creative life after years of things being on a slow simmer. But it was also the inspiration that came flooding in from everywhere once I discovered the Internet and blogging. I took a few workshops, met some like-minded friends, and really, as corny as it sounds, my life changed.
As for my evolution as an artist, I think that it’s the creating that has given me confidence to think of myself as an artist. What started as a hobby grew into a business. It turns out that by making books that appealed to me, I was creating work that also resonated with others. By following my urges, the art evolves with my interests, my history, exposure, and my knowledge. I never really know for sure what is going to inspire me next, and that’s the fun of it.
Old books fascinate me. Beyond the stories written on the pages, I imagine the stories of the people who held them before me. The notes scribbled on the margins or tucked between the pages. I love finding pressed flowers or photos slipped into an old book. The older and more beat up, the more they spark my imagination. I began making books myself about fifteen years ago. My favorite item in my studio is a vintage book press that a good friend gave me. It’s a focal point that appeals to my love of antiques, and it’s useful. Nothing I like more than a vintage item that looks great and can still be used. The other favorite thing is my studio dog—Scout—although she can be found in other rooms of the house as well. She’s the supervisor and the soul of my space.
I created a series that I called “Woodsmoke,” which was born out of wistfulness for summer camps, marshmallows, muted conversations coming from campfires across the lake, and the smell of wood smoke lingering. My botanically printed pages go so well with this theme. Now that we’ve moved to a small beach community, I can feel my focus shifting to our new life and the things that capture my attention here.
I dove into my creative life, heart first, and have never looked back.
Most of the books I make have metal covers. They start as a sheet of brass as the base substrate. I melt and manipulate solder and different elements to create the covers, adding photographs under resin or stones to the front. I might add a quote or a name to the cover as well. Inside of the covers, I wrap signatures (a folded nest of papers) of blank pages with wrappers that have been botanically printed. Often, they are ecodyed, a process of coaxing color from leaves onto paper or fabric by cooking the two together. Other times, I use ink to transfer the prints of leaves onto the paper. Sometimes, I will rust my papers instead. The books are bound by hand using a variety of binding techniques. A Coptic stitch, first developed in the second century by the Egyptian Copts, is one of my favorites because it is beautiful to look at and it allows all the pages to open fully and lay flat.
I don’t really think that I have had many challenges creatively. I create for myself and am simply gratified when others appreciate the work. I teach fairly often, and travel can be a challenge. Getting all the pieces from A to B, not forgetting anything, leaving time for delays. I tend to wait until the last minute to get things ready, and it always takes me longer than I expect it will. I’ve currently got several irons in the fire, which is just the way I like it. I belong to a fiber arts collective in Wilmington, NC, and I’m developing a piece that will be on display at a local studio this fall. It will be something out of my normal wheelhouse. I like the challenge of creating something different. I love the metal books I’ve been creating for years, but I also love fiber arts and am working on a fresh body of work that will reflect my new surroundings.
I think it’s a blessing to be happy right where you are.
I’ve hit a happy plateau—a sweet spot if you will—where I’m comfortable and busy. I plan to ride this wave for a while. At some point, I’ll teach less and concentrate on developing new work. But for now, I’m content where I am. Not to be reaching for the next great thing, but rather enjoying the view from exactly where I am. I am already living my dream goal with my art. I get to make things that I love, I can share them with others, and I hear nice things about my work. Sometimes, people even pay me for it.
MINIBOOKCHARMS
My books often begin with a feeling that I want to express, nostalgia really.
