Her Bleeding Heart, 2024, 35x17
The vintage Edwardian silk and crochet camisole, dating back to the 1910s, belonged to my great-grandmother Vera, whom I affectionately referred to as Mamaw during my childhood. Residing in southeast Ohio, she embodied the conventional role of women of her time, yet she often appeared to be immersed in a daydream of possibilities that could have existed. The piece is intricately hand-embroidered with Sashiko threads.
These Hands, 2024, 16x12
The women who ran the home in the 50s, breaking free.
Repurposed vintage crochet gloves (circa 1950s) appliqué on repurposed textiles and hand embroidery.
In the name of Vera, 2023, 44x37
My paternal aunt brought me some old textiles that belonged to my great-grandmother Vera. These included her aprons, handkerchiefs, Bible bookmarks, head wraps, and scraps of lace. Vera was a quilter and collected many things.
Repurposed textiles, patches, a leather belts made while my father was incarcerated, and collected objects backed with cotton muslin and
fit onto the canvas. 2023, 37x44, Mixed Media
Ancestry: Phenomenal Woman, 2023, 21x21
This work, part of my Ancestry Series, was created as part of an investigation into my lineage and also pays homage to the place I currently call home: the Southwest. Taking this work a step further, I wanted to honor the women in my life and the women who surround me in my day-to-day world—both in art and my community.
Hand embroidery on repurposed cotton, linen, and rayon textiles, stitched with silk, cotton, and polyester thread, paint, and leather, in a deep black gallery frame.
Ancestry: Offerings, 2023, 60x39
This work, part of my Ancestry Series, was created as I explored and investigated the land and history of the Southwest.
Repurposed textiles, hand embroidery, and block printing. Hung with jute cord on cholla cactus.
Ancestry: Rebirth, 2023, 24x18
The snake symbol offers energy related to rebirth, wisdom, and creative life force. Repurposed and naturally dyed textiles, Sashiko thread, churro wool, and embroidery floss. Paint, cotton batting. In 1 3/8” deep black gallery frame.
When I traveled the Deep Blue Seas, 2022, 42x64
This quilted jacket is made exclusively with repurposed textiles, some overdyed with natural indigo. It is inspired by the Japanese Boro jackets of the Edo Period and American patchwork quilts. It is hung on latilla wood harvested from Taos County, New Mexico.
Golden Cowboy Hanten, 2022, 36x64
This Hanten is made with all repurposed textiles, some overdyed with onion skin and coreopsis. A play on the Hanten jacket of Japan and cowboy colors of the southwest. Hung on a latilla wood.