Natural fiber cloth, reclaimed wood, acrylic paint
Studio #3
Cross Bywater Studio
11 Shoreland Dr
+Handicapped accessible
Etsy Shop
4harpss@gmail.com
(360) 468-3163
I am a self-taught textile artisan who has lived and worked on Lopez since 1988. My work today represents over four decades of refinement in color use, construction technique and general artistic skill. I am drawn to rich saturated color and visual texture with a palette of vivid colors taken from the natural world that surrounds my studio by the pond. I work intuitively to create pieces that are both beautiful and useful. Blending color and texture along with frugal use of materials are all essential elements of my work.
From a very early age I have been fascinated with the act of manipulating various materials into something that has a pleasing aesthetic and is functional. Currently, my focus is on making distinctive cloth quilts and hand painted wood Barn Quilts using reclaimed plywood. In all of my pieces, I lean into the traditional patterns which have a long history of understated beauty and function that appeals to me. Quilting is textural storytelling and I love the challenge of finding the right materials to narrate each story. My choice of fabrics is what brings these classic textiles into the modern day. Barn Quilts are also a link to our past, with clean geometric designs and solid blocks of color; they make a bold statement on a building. I believe that these old ways of creating are worth saving, even as we modernize them through our interpretations.
Art is a feast for the senses that brings people together to feed our hearts and minds, and fuel our life force. As an artist, I can choose how I narrate and illustrate my experience of the world. Creating these individual pieces is my moving meditation and my social commentary platform on social justice issues, climate concerns and the rights of the plants and animals in the natural world.
My work is shown locally and nationally with many of my pieces in private collections around the country. To see more of what I do, make a purchase or plan a commission, visit my Etsy shop or follow me on Instagram.
All images courtesy of the Artists ©2023