Working With my hands:

I have always enjoyed working with my hands. As a child I learned to knit, crochet, sew and embroider. During my teenage years I had a strong desire to attend as many art classes as possible. Through those venues I was exposed to mediums such as clay, metal, chalk and oil paint.

The items I made earned me a place at two different exhibits. The first was a summer art show for young oil painters. The second was at an art museum in Madison, Wisconsin. On display was my chalk drawing of a clown and a metal sculpture of a human head. The attention I received was heart-warming.

If it had not been for my daughter’s insistence the chalk drawing would have ended up in a landfill, as was the fate for the metal sculpture. The clown drawing still hangs in my daughter’s home.

A new outlet:

Since 1995 fabric has been my medium. My first projects used patterns and pre-packaged quantities of cloth. While this technique afforded me the opportunity to explore my love of art, it didn’t provide an outlet for self expression. Finding just the right avenue took years of exploration.

Finally in 2014 I had a breakthrough. The art form that grabbed my attention has been given many names; I know it as improv quilting. This new direction took me on a journey resulting in the formation of more than 200 art pieces. Most of them focus strictly around the manipulation of fabric.

Spontonaiety:

My art is a path that goes in multiple directions. I don’t plan my pieces ahead of time; they happen spontaneously. The mistakes or imperfections that may arise are accepted as design features. In nature nothing is truly balanced or symmetrical and thus I apply that mantra to my work. 

I have a lot of tools in my arsenal. When and how they appear depends upon my current state of mind. I like to use unusual combinations of color and a variety of techniques.

The viewers experience:

Creating art is a form of dreaming that can provide an escape from everyday life. Through my art I hope to provide that type of an outlet. If my viewers’ experience physically and visually engages them long enough to have any kind of impact then my goal has been achieved.

exhibits, Both past and present:

Select items from my collection are currently offered for purchase at the Raven’s Wish Gallery, Janesville, Wisconsin

Solo Art Exhibit, Raven’s Wish Gallery, Janesville, Wisconsin July 25-August 25, 2020

Solo Art Exhibit, Blue Bar Quilts, Middleton, Wisconsin September, 2019

Threads of Life, UW Arboretum, Madison, Wisconsin September, 2019 – October, 2019

Etudes II, Anderson Art Center, Kenosha, Wisconsin January, 2019 – March, 2019

Explorations, Monroe Clinic and Hospital, Monroe, Wisconsin November, 2018 – February, 2019

Thank you! 

Thank you for your interest. To reach me you may do so through one of the following avenues:

• Leave a comment on this page
• Add a comment on my Facebook page or
• Send an email to caa1032 [at] gmail [dot] com

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