Life

I hale from the land of potatoes - Boise, Idaho - and a home of love, laughter, art, music, ongoing education, and cozy homebodies. I have been creating art for as long as I can remember, and I have always loved opportunities to learn a new technique or craft that I could use to make things for myself and others. This persisted in my college studies at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where I was immediately entranced by the book arts and printmaking classes offered in our art department. These subjects not only offered me a chance to learn about new art forms, but also resonated with another love in my life - books and reading. In short, I began to create prints and books, and I haven't stopped since.

In 2010, I graduated with a B.A. in Art (with a concentration in bookmaking and printmaking) and in French Literature (although my thesis was about French film - I'm a visual person, how could I resist?), got married, and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to pursue a Master's in Art in Education at the Harvard Graduate School. This experience gave me a greater appreciation for the importance of the arts on a national and international level - from the presence (or lack thereof) of art programs in schools to the possibilities for collaboration and change through the arts themselves. Deciding to remain in the Boston area, I now act as the atelierista (or “Studio Teacher”) at the Reggio Emilia-inspired Peabody Terrace Children’s Center in Cambridge, where I help teachers and children deepen their thinking through the arts and act as a sort of "creativity consultant" to help their ideas take flight. I record some of my thoughts and experiences teaching on our school's blog, Under Three Roofs.

And, of course, I create, create, create.

Art

I am fascinated by processes of transformation, which infuses my art in more ways than one. Some of this transformation can be found in my process of creation. In addition to more classical art forms like drawing and painting, I am drawn to techniques that are steeped in folk and craft traditions - such as quilting, embroidery, printing and bookbinding - and which involve the mark of the artist’s hand at every step. It is up to the artist to take disparate pieces - scraps of fabric, images, words, pages - and assemble them into a cohesive work of art. It is no surprise, then, that much of my inspiration comes from both the natural world (which is built of ecosystems in which multiple organisms work together) and the literary genres of fairytales and mythology (which have been told, retold, and transcribed over the years and with multiple variations).

Quilting and embroidery speak to a tradition of recording familial and communal history that has been practiced by women for decades. They are quite literal transformations of the functional and menial into a form of artistic expression. They are also wonderfully tactile and hands-on, inviting touch rather than prohibiting it. Whether using these media as the center of a piece or incorporating them as one element among many, I feel that they connect me to both my individual past (my family history and childhood) as well as to a collective past (speaking to my identity as a woman).

Printmaking (such as linoleum carving, my prime modus operandus in this area) is an interesting juxtaposition between the singularity and repetition. Each block or plate is unique, yet they are often printed multiple times and sometimes in combination from one another, building up an image layer by layer. The process of carving a block requires the very tactile gestures of the artist, each individual stroke of the carving tool working towards the artist's vision. And the printing itself, whether by hand or with a press, strives to create identical copies, even as there is an inevitable, though subtle individuality to each piece.

Bookbinding often serves as a means to bring together multiple elements - whether they be different artistic media, variations on a theme, or the elements of a story. The process of creating a book from start to finish involves forethought, precision, and patience, but also creativity, flexibility, and feeling. Once again, the idea of the tactile comes into play, as artist books are one of the few art forms that encourage the touch of the viewer more often than not. The form of the book also offers me the perfect canvas for exploring the changes effected by time, growth, and maturation - factors that impact human beings, the natural world, and, ultimately, our entire planet.

Shows & Exhibitions

Prints as sculpture

Chandler Gallery, Cambridge, MA - 2018

Subversive/Domestic

Shenandoah Valley Arts Center, Waynesboro, VA - 2018

Unbound, Volume VII Juried Show

Artistree Gallery, South Pomfret, VT - 2017

Unbound, Volume VI Juried Show

Artistree Gallery, South Pomfret, VT - 2016

Chasing Paper

Special Exhibit - Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, Lake Oswego, OR - 2016

Pressed Leaves: Unbound Impressions

Dual Show - The Middle Gray, Brookline, MA - 2016

Fold, Glue, Cut, Stitch

Solo Show - T. Ross Kelly Family Gallery, Watertown, MA - 2016

Unbound, Volume V Juried Show

Honorable Mention - Artistree Gallery, South Pomfret, VT - 2015

Hear/Here Community Art Installation

Teaching Artist - Cambridge Community Art Center, Cambridge, MA - 2014

Leftovers Traveling Printmaking Exhibit

Wingtip Press, Boise, ID - 2011 & 2012

Senior Thesis Show

Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA - 2010

Student Salons

Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA - 2007 & 2009