A native Californian, I received my B.A. in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, an M.A. in Psychology from California State University Sonoma, and a California state teaching credential. I also served two years in the Peace Corps in West Africa. I moved to New Mexico in 2019. In addition to making art and participating in various art shows around town, I volunteer for the New Mexico Paddlers’ Coalition and the Middle Rio Grande Water Advocates. In California I held leadership positions in three statewide California river protection campaigns (the Stanislaus, North Fork American, and Tuolumne Rivers) from 1978 to 1994.
My activist career culminated in 2012 with a 12-year stint as Campus Ombudsman at the University of California Santa Cruz. Through the support of the Artist Conference Network for peer coaching, I am now the diva of RainDragon’s Workshop - where discards, detritus, found and gifted objects become the raw materials of my mixed media art projects.
As a Buddhist practitioner I am acutely aware of the interconnection of all beings. The Japanese principle of “mottai” - the intrinsic dignity of a material entity – informs and inspires me. I aspire to create art that inspires the viewer to engage with what is – the beauty, the challenges - and to think about what might be possible. The challenges we face in this world require hope and strong intention.
I have no formal art education, but I have benefitted from many weekend workshops, community college classes, and coaching with generous mentors. I clearly remember how it all started: at the age of 7 I stole a bunch those stretchy “potholder” loops from my sister to create a bridle for my horse. I got in trouble, but it was an idea I just had to realize!
Artist Statement
Starting with an object I’ve found or been gifted I listen with my hands and heart to what wants to emerge. The object in my hands is slowly transformed - by coiling, weaving, stitching, dyeing, shredding, folding, twisting – into a new version of itself. The materials become the muse.
Each piece offers a new story while honoring a previous life. Mindful that everything I touch was once soil, mineral, plant or animal on this small blue planet floating in vast space, I seek to honor this connection. In the well-traveled tale of Indra’s Net, the fundamental reality of our interconnection manifests. Every being is connected to and reflects the beauty of all other beings.
Seeing the playful possibilities lurking in a dumpster, recycle bin, sidewalk free pile, farm field, or riverbank turns me towards my vow to save all beings. My intention is to evoke appreciation for what is, and spark curiosity and hope for what may be possible.
