I began making Japanese style paper in 1989. The making of paper, to me, was a synthesis of prior years working
with weaving and basketry techniques. What really caught my attention was the way the fibers were revealed when
held up to the light. One day while making paper I was taken back twenty years to the days when I collected natural
materials for dying wool to be used on the Navajo loom I had made. I would extract the plant material keeping the
dye-bath. In papermaking, I extract the bath and keep the cooked plant material to add texture and color to kozo,
the paper mulberry bark. My breath was taken away at the awareness of coming full circle.

Since then the philosophies of simplicity, humility and the concepts of the quintessential Japanese aesthetic,
wabi-sabi, have guided me toward a deeper relationship with the materials I use in my work with papermaking,
illuminated sculpture and stone carving. The corroboration that arises from working with natural materials opens
my eyes to a way of seeing the world around me, affirms my intuition and belief that it is possible to integrate art as
a way of being and encourages my development of focus and intent, infusing it with subtlety and fluidity. It is this
tension between structure and chaos, discipline and passion and the tranquil beauty that manifests in sculpture that
has captivated my attention and motivates me to further explore the uses of organic materials in my art work.
Currently I am working on a series using cast kozo as a focal point, integrated with wood and stone. I call this series
Suspendere, which reflects a period in my life that involves learning about patience.

I live in a rural coastal community north of San Francisco. It is here, rooted in my world surrounded by protected
wilderness that I am free to explore my creative process. I still collect plant material to incorporate with the paper,
as well as native wood. Recently I have begun experimentation with tamarisk from New Mexico.

2006