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I see my books as crossing artistic mediums, sometimes as book form, dimensional art or mixed media of paint, dye, glue, and stitch, all moving into new areas of narrative where I am creating new structures from old ideas. Traditionally books are rarely constructed of fabric, they are most often printed with script or forms that are understood by the reader and once read, passed on or shelved. The contemporary book art that I create has flow, shape and dimension, can be folded or draped, suspended in long lengths and can incorporate objects relating to the text or subject matter. Threads can be used for stitching, bindings or additional marks onto the surface.

Cloth to Codex is not created quickly by computer, or technology, most of my actions are done slowly with contemplation and consideration. Whether it is printing or dyeing the fabric and threads, cutting and sewing is most often by hand as is the construction and assembling of the different elements of my book forms. My work might be considered part of the "slow cloth" movement - a fibre world equivalent of the slow food movement, a philosophy and an attitude, that embraces teaching, community (global and local), diversity, and responsible sourcing and use of materials.

The focus of my current work- The Industrial Shoreline - examines the working harbour, where the industry of shipping goods and products from our factories and fields intersects with the contemporary desire of a playground of beaches and pristine clear waters. The port occupies a special and limited space at the edge of our cities; the freighters and docks piled high with shipping containers are an essential part of a modern economy. Any harbour is constantly changing: the tide rises, and falls, materials and shipping containers come and go, the structures acquire patina and layers of complex shapes over the years. We see it as the gritty edge of our city, but close by life continues on with marine life, a complex ecosystem that may or may not flourish along the shoreline.
This shoreline has developed a territorial edge that many forces want to control: industry, national security, condo developers, environmentalists, nature lovers, and the animals and people who have lived on this edge for millennia – they all want some power or say or access. My series seeks to bring a sense of splendor and majesty to these industrial ports while acknowledging the need to respect and acknowledge each interest.
The industrial warehouses and buildings along the intertidal zones of urban harbours presents a dichotomy in my textile art between the hard and soft; the rigidity of steel and the fluidity of cloth. There is beauty in the metal structures and their patina, the angles, shadows, bursts of color, and swoops of lines create rich visual interest for the viewer. My drawn, painted, and stitched lines and the challenge of interpreting these means that I rely on a variety of mark making, inks and paints on the fabrics to give me the rich patinas of rust, rafters and steel and sea.
This series reflects and contrasts both the industrial shoreline with shipping, cranes and buildings with some inherent beauty and the waters where we sail, paddle and swim.
I have always lived near the ocean, sometimes close to a working harbour, oil refinery or a military base. I have seen and experienced the challenges faced by both industry and the need to have a sustainable natural environment. I have also witnessed the ongoing efforts of all invested groups working towards finding the best and most lasting solutions. I do not see these issues in an “either/or” scenario but as a challenge of finding balance and commonality. I am not anti-development, the premise I work from is that commercial growth together with vibrant, sustainable ecosystems can be created and I want my Industrial Shoreline series to reflect that essential premise.

Improvisational piecing with an exploration of colour and pattern

A series that explores mark making and textile collage

My home on Pender Island is located in the middle of what is now known as the Salish Sea, an inland sea that encompasses Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands and the waters off of Vancouver, BC. The area spans from Olympia, Washington in the south to the Campbell River, British Columbia in the north, and west to Neah Bay and includes the large cities of Seattle and Vancouver.
Increasingly, the sea and its surrounding watersheds are challenged by an ever-growing list of threats. Ocean acidification, a burgeoning human population, increased marine shipping traffic, and unchecked waste water and sewage runoff are just a few of the immediate pressures that are endangering this jewel of an ecosystem. If healthy ecosystems foster economic prosperity, unhealthy ones represent lost opportunity and income. Whether we depend upon the ocean for our living or for our quality of life, we all benefit from a healthy Salish Sea.
This series is an homage to our fragile earth, this Island Home.

The discovery of some vintage papers in a scrapbook was the starting point of creating these works. The paper has a suede-like feel and the edges are slightly discoloured with age. Each of the pieces seemed to suggest different ways of working, the approach I used was to begin by applying white acrylic paint and then coloured inks after wetting the paper slightly. It took time to add each layer, patiently waiting for drying time...I have a reverence and keen interest in using asemic writing in my work - script-like marks which are unreadable but seem like ideas of text. Some of the pieces use collage elements which I have painted and cut.
These Timeless Moments pieces are titled after favourite phrases in poems of TS Eliot.