The road to my studio on a mountain in Virginia has not been a straight one. My degree in Art Education started me off as a high school art teacher. After marriage and the birth of my two sons, our little family moved to Pennsylvania, where I was fortunate enough to be able to raise a small flock of prize winning, natural colored, sheep. My creative energy found an expression in the study of textiles, and spinning and weaving became a new outlet for my love of design. Shifting my background in painting to exploring the use of color and texture in fabrics came naturally and led to setting up a small weaving studio on the farm.

During this time I designed what I describe as an integrated shawl, where the two front striped panels are woven together seamlessly to form a plaid, V-shaped design on the back. My shawls were featured on the cover and in an article describing the process in the Spring 1987 issue of“Shuttle, Spindle, And Dyepot”, an international weaving publication. The shawls continue to be my main venue for expressing my nature-inspired designs.

After the passing of my husband, I managed a small art gallery in Newark, Delaware, while also writing a biography of an amazing man who ran a local fine art print shop, while serving as Secretary of State for Delaware. It was called The Press of Kells, and produced books as well as the local newspaper.

I finally sold the farm and moved to Front Royal, Virginia with my elderly mother to be close to family. I built a chalet on High Knob Mountain where the amazing views of the Blue Ridge offered a never ending palette of colors.

My job for 6 years as head archivist for the Warren County Heritage Society immersed me in the beauty of the mountains, as well as the rich history of the area. The forests and pastures are a never ending source of dyes, which I use in my hand spun yarns and weavings.