My mixed media work consists of magazine clippings, historic ledgers, various printmaking techniques, drawing and painting. I start with a detailed design or sometimes just a rough sketch. From there the process is a series of chain reactions, from start to finish. I'll often cut out 10 different patterns for one dress. For example, once I find the one I like, I might realize the whole color scheme should be monochromatic so I change the background in order to emphasize the foreground. 

Much of my work is a response to the word ‘grace.’ Kathleen Norris wrote, "If grace is so wonderful why do we have such difficulty recognizing and accepting it? Maybe it's because grace is not gentle or made-to-order. It often comes disguised as loss, or failure, or unwelcome change.” Often I show people on a journey; their painful moments force them into a kind of exile where everything is foreign and disorienting. It’s about longing for home and the hope of return. Strings are a frequent metaphor, which represent all the people, memories, books, places, and events that have shaped someone in a mysteriously beautiful manner. Sometimes my subjects’ hands are open, offering something of themselves to the world, yet they are also holding some form of light to make sense of the darkness. Mary Oliver writes:  “Someone once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” This is what keeps me coming back to the studio, capturing these small acts of kindness that quietly begin to illuminate everything.