I think through materials, and making my own paper is the most important of these. I studied with Tim Barrett and Lynn Amlie at the University of Iowa, as well as learning from many others.
I studied natural dyeing in Japan under a Fulbright grant. The colors, smells, materials, and pace of this time-intensive process continue to inspire me.
In the past few years I've come back to drawing, though often in indirect ways, such as drawing shadows on limestone for lithographs.
Printmaking, in the widest sense, has shaped the way I construct images since college. As often as not, print finds its way into installations and artists' books, whether that means etching in copper or cutting paper or vinyl on a sign plotter.
As Director of Artistic Projects and Master Papermaker at Dieu Donné Paper Mill, I help other artists use paper as a medium. I also teach workshops, especially in using natural dyes on paper (both on finished sheets of paper and dyeing fiber for papermaking), and in making Japanese-style paper. Previous workshops have been taught at Women's Studio Workshop, Center for Book Arts, NES artist's residency, Morgan Conservatory, Pyramid Atlantic, the Mill Paper and Book Arts Center and many other great studios. Check the news page for upcoming workshops.
