As a child, I made a paintbrush from cat fur, a stick and string, with a canvas of birch bark paper, mixed a pigment from mashed up berries and dirt. I felt it was important to source my art and make my own tools from nature.
Today, still instructed by nature, I “translate” and participate in an expression of the winds, spirits and play of natural design. My favorite tool, the ancient tjanting, drips hot beeswax as I layer wax and dyes onto natural fabrics. Emotionally, art is ultimately a practice in relinquishing control.
There is much delight to find in nature; it holds its own joys -- an open invitation to play, to interact and to experience a sense of wholeness and harmony.
When people view my work, I hope they are experiencing some of nature's wonder, delight and the reverence I hold for it. I invite them to be present, silent, so that their own inklings or stories beyond conscious thought may emerge.