ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a mixed media fiber artist. I choose to express myself through quilts because of its personal connection to my ancestors and Southern roots. I find there are qualities inherent in art made of fabric and thread: the depth of the colors, the layers, and the texture of the stitches, that can’t be duplicated in another medium. I construct collage-like art quilts using fabrics which I pattern with a variety of surface design processes. The surface is layered with machine stitching, hand embroidery, paint, transferred images, found objects and graphite drawings. My graphite figures are drawn on unprimed canvas. I use a scale of pencils from HBs and 8Bs. My figure renderings come from live models, and photographs based on legendary and people of personal importance, such as my 98-year-old mother, sisters, and friends. It is typical for my quilts to contain vintage and re-claimed garments, as well as nostalgic materials transforming my figures into ancestors that tell stories from another time. I typically use an applique process that starts with a self-designed template and fabric that is sewn directly to the quilt top.

It is characteristic of my work to focus on themes from the Antebellum South that address past taboos and controversial issues. Conversations with my mother, grandmother, and aunts have always inspired me to base my artworks on Southern expressions and idioms. I may start with a particular vision based on a southern expression or childhood memory, only to encounter some unexpected epiphany, or the discovery of a unique or rare fabric leading me into a completely new direction.

My goals for future works have to do with how I communicate my ideas metaphorically through fabrics. I look forward to art making techniques that place more emphasis on the manipulation and marking of fabrics such as the destruction and re-addressing of materials pertaining to textiles.