Biography

My initial experiences with weaving systems came in college studio courses at the graduate level. Technique was the major focus of instruction and was expressed by the construction of a sampler of patterned fabrics felling no spiritual contact with the medium until I began pursuing more personal ideas, surfaces and forms. The work which resulted produced convinced me that weaving would add an element of expression to my ideas which would become very important to my development as a visual artist. Throughout my early efforts to learn more concerning the fiber arts as a new movement in the visual arts, and achieving my M.A. and M.F.A. degrees, I continued to employ the floor loom for construction of art fabrics for my three dimensional forms. Researching biologically related forms and folklore ritual forms and produced sculpture related to that imagery. Some early creations were recycled in an effort to push further the relationship of my ideas as they were being formed.

Some ideas from my graduate experiences were carried over and developed as I began my career as an educator at the college level. Flamboyant qualities created by using colorful and reflective materials were used in sculptures representing ESCAPE ROUTES composed of ladders ascending into clouds. This desire to relate the transformations found in the sky was soon refined an abstracted. A NEA Craftsmen Fellowship funded my first machine sewn series, SKYGRIDS, from vinyl, polyethylene plastic, millinery veiling, ribbons, braids, threads, and paint. Quilting transparent layers of materials became the dominant technique in which the interior of the quilted fabric became the major visual aesthetic concern. Strips of photo-screened vinyl were later added and interlacing were now incorporated into the development of my imagery.

In 1974 a major move to the University of Kentucky provided me with a spacious studio, research time and excellent facilities for teaching and developing my artistic expression. As an artist I firmly believe in the philosophy that work produces results. The evolution of my personal style is shaped by my choice of visual concerns where growth is enhanced by variation and change. My interest in using exotic materials, Mylar, Lurex, Diffraction Grating and other high tech products, has never swayed and the surfaces created by their use continues to excite me. My explorations have produced a variety of aesthetic qualities of which reflections emitted from the surfaces of my forms continue to provide an added dimension to my creations. My research for design and content has included pattern in various forms, spatial depth through shape, color and line, monumental scale achieved through modular formats and by creating and recycling art fabrics which are lightweight, easily installed and transported. Other issues incorporate shape variation from traditional to dynamically more personal forms, combining representation with abstraction, exploring alternative image making processes as collage and photocopy transfers on acetate, paper, using fabric, machine stitching to enhance the design's texture, color, or structure, and the introduction of kinetic elements using motorized armatures.

Now I look forward to continued years of art making, teaching and sharing my ideas and creations with students, colleagues, other artists and the public.