Hello, and welcome to Sparkreations!

Artist Statement

     I began to follow my dad around during his carpentry projects when I was quite young.  I recall him making a wooden jewelry box in his workshop, and I just had to find a fabric remnant to line the inside.  My first creative love was fabric and fibers.  When my Aunt Adele taught me to knit and crochet, my hands were so small that I had to hold one of the knitting needles between my knees so that I could use both hands to work the yarn.  I’m glad that the concept of boredom eludes me, as there are always new things to create.

     Color is a compelling influence in my life.  Although not always with conscious awareness, I often make decisions in consideration of color.

     For me, the rejuvenation that comes from adding color, texture, and dimension to a plain piece of paper rivals a day at the spa!  Diving in and seeing what happens unleashes my creative energy, sometimes surprising even myself with the concoctions that I produce—from inks, dyes, and metallic pigments, to bleach, shaving cream, and even joint compound.  My application tools are as traditional as rubber stamps and sponges, but I have also found new uses for rubber bands, metal flashing tape, drinking straws, and even internal computer parts.  One of my most pleasing results began with used fabric softener sheets.

     As with many other artists, some of my own ideas begin with a spark of inspiration from another source or experience.  My work often translates time-honored art forms into contemporary expression, such as with my use of fibers in my iris fold framed artwork.  I am always seeking new ways to make (a seemingly never-ending array of) figures that can be fashioned out of an ordinary strip of paper, as illustrated in my quilled paper framed artwork.  While composing much of my artwork, I act as paper engineer, incorporating dimensional folds and movement into my creations.

     Multitudes of my original works of art have been released into the World as gifts, where I am honored to have them grace the walls of their recipients’ homes and offices.

 Biography

     The artist’s lifelong professional career has been devoted to non-profit human services work, during much of which she was a leading advocate (both appointed and elected) in her state to ensure adequate funding for services for those infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS.  Along the way she has worked as a college professor, executive directed an international program to fund the education of girls in east African countries, and was a creative arts tutor for home-schooled youth.

     Her creative experience has been a healthy rejuvenating respite from her long career in human services – time to herself, getting out of her head and into her hands.  Remaining true to her professional roots, she is committed to donating a portion of Sparkreations’ profits to support the work of non-profit organizations.  Please check out the current non-profit recipient organization.

     She is dedicated to and deliriously happy about continuing on in her journey of transition from the career where she began, to working (playing, really) as a full-time artist.

     Just as in life, the journey usually teaches us more than does the destination, and, for this artist, that is often where the joy resides.  As Susan Sontag said, “The only interesting answers are those which destroy the questions.”