Wall Hangings

Over the course of several years, I rescued the fabric that forms the basis of these pieces from the “discard” bin at the textile company where I worked. I took whatever appealed to me, not knowing what I would do with it. Meanwhile, my clarinetist spouse was going through multiple boxes of reeds on a regular basis, selecting those that he would use for his nightly musical performances. Over time, the fabric and the used reeds accumulated, and I found myself with an abundance of both.

I thought about various ways to use these materials, but it was only once I decided to work with them in tandem that my active exploration began.

I am fascinated with the natural markings on the bottom part of the reeds. The thinner top portion is where I put markings of my own, with paints, dyes, stains, or burnings.

My process is organic in that the reeds, once I have prepared them, sometimes suggest to me their configuration on the fabric, and I translate that into the visual imagery you are seeing. At other times I must experiment for a long time before discovering their placement and its rhythm. It is a quiet, meditative process.

Eventually, my materials evolve together to create something with a new form, serving a new purpose, with which I hope to engage the viewer’s imagination in new and unexpected ways.