Fundament

What’s fundamental to you?

29"h x 24"w x 1.5" d

Materials: clothesline, t-shirt yarn, fiber reactive dyes

Techniques: cloverleaf base, twining, triple twining, wrapping, braiding, stitching, dyeing

Fundament explanation

Marsh Wren

A canoe tour of Scarborough Marsh inspired me to create this larger-than-life marsh wren. We saw many birds during our journey along the winding Nonesuch River, but the marsh wren was only identifiable by its buzzy trill & some nests we saw in the grasses. Wrens have long been a favorite of mine, and research confirmed that the marsh wren is a delightful member of the family & worthy of a portrait.

Materials: round, flat and flat oval reed, bass wood, acrylic paint, waxed threads, wire, glue

Techniques: twining, carving, painting, wrapping

Flow

A river flows through the cord grass of a salt marsh to the sea.

Materials: birch wood panel, round and flat oval reed, fiber reactive dyes, acrylic paint, waxed threads, glue
10” h x 10” w x 1.5” d

Techniques: twining, interlinking, hand-dyeing, painting, gluing

Salt Marsh

The beauty and serenity of Scarborough Marsh is a challenge to capture in any visual medium. In this work I attempted to depict the slow movement of the river and the sway of the cord grass.

18” h x 18” w x 1.5” d

Materials: birch wood panel, hand-dyed round and flat oval reed, acrylic paint, waxed threads

Techniques: twining, sprang weaving, painting

Autumn

30"h x 19" w x 9" d

Materials: Dyed flat oval, round and oval oval reed, frame with matte, waxed thread, stone

Techniques: Wave weave, random weave, gluing, stitching

A Walk by the River

52"h x 35" w x 8"d

Created as part of a group work called “Out for a Walk” with four other artists for an exhibit of touchable art, “A Walk by the River” expresses my love of nature using basketry techniques and materials. I’m always happiest when surrounded by trees near a body of water, preferably in the mountains.

A Walk by the River

river detail

Materials: Dyed flat oval, round and oval oval reed, wood stretchers, waxed thread.

Techniques: Wave weave, random weave, twining.

A Walk by the River

canopy detail

Ethereal Dreamer

collaboration with Laurie Bogdan

1'h x 7'w x 5'd
Installed at Hapgood Wright Town Forest, Concord, MA for Art Ramble 2021

Ethereal Dreamer

Installed at the Pingree School, South Hamilton, MA for the 15th Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit in 2024

Joys and Sorrows

22" w x 20" d x 18" h

So many of my memories are entwined with the nature sanctuary Habitat in Belmont, MA, beginning in 1989 when visiting it with my then fiancé, Josh, to decide if we could afford to get married there. We fell in love with this place and chose to wed there under the cherry tree in the formal garden. It was May and its pink blossoms were at their height. I like to remember it as a perfect day, but like all memories, it has unraveled a little, like the strips of fabric from my gown. I don’t mind this, I am happy with the fluidity of memories. Let them sway and tangle and untangle.
The beauty of Habitat and the happy memories I started there have lured me to visit regularly. The tranquility I have found there has also provided comfort for many sorrows, large and small, that inevitably come with living. Hovering near the trunk are the dangling ghosts of those who are no longer present in my physical life. Yet each flower is a joy.

Joys and Sorrows

trunk closeup

Materials: reed, twigs, roots, prunings, ribbon, yarn, strips from my wedding dress, paint

Techniques: basketry, multiple bases, tying

Joys and Sorrows, canopy

Generosi-tea: Self-Portrait as Teapot

A person of generous proportions, I like to think I also have a generous nature. Those who give frequently receive, as I have from friends, family, and colleagues. The contributed linen napkins I used in this sculpture tell their own stories of generosity – of dinner parties and holiday gatherings – in the stains and signs of wear. Sitting down for tea with a friend is a ritual of generosity I love to perform.

9” h x 17” w x 8” d

Generosi-tea: Self-Portrait as Teapot

Materials: things given to me: linen napkins, pearl buttons, lace trim, canvas, wire; other things: fiberfill, thread, crochet thread, muslin, interfacing, cardboard

Techniques: machine and hand sewing, pattern drafting, stuffing

Form #1

An exploration of pure form.
14"h x 11"w x 8"d

Form #1

Materials: canvas, fiberfill, cardboard

Techniques: pattern drafting, stitching, stuffing

Celia

Celia was my grandmother-in-law. She was born in 1903 in Luninets, Belarus, married Milton in 1924, & had two daughters. She kept a pristine home, using her tablecloths for family celebrations. After she died at age 100, I was given her tablecloths, which I used until they began to wear out. I couldn’t part with them, until I came up with the idea of using one to create a portrait to honor Celia.

17” h x 13.25” w x 2.5” d

Materials: Celia's tablecloth, various cords, wool batting, fiberfill, wire, thread, buttons, foam core

Techniques: coiling, stitching, unraveling, embroidery

Sandy's (In)Stability

Woven to emulate one of Sandy’s designer handbags, Sandy’s (In)stability references the near-unraveling of Sandy’s stability during her husband’s final months of melanoma and cancer treatment-induced type 1 diabetes. Used to the protection and pampering by her loving husband for over 60 years, she focused on compulsive tidiness, elegance and family. Some of her compulsions included large collections of designer handbags, shoes, and shoelaces, all meticulously stored. When her husband’s diseases overcame his strength, with constant support from her three children, she struggled and rose to the challenge, keeping stitched together.

Sandy's (In)Stability

9” h x 11” w x 7” d

Materials: Sandy’s collection of used and new shoelaces, telephone wire, thread
Techniques: houndstooth weave, random weave, sewing, knotting

Empty Nest

2021 brought many changes to my family. In March my son moved out of the home he’d lived in since he was five years old. He’d moved back in after college but was finally able to find a job that enabled him and his sweetheart to find a place together. My daughter, back home from college due to COVID-19, moved into an apartment in August to be able to go back to in-person classes. Her girlfriend, who had been living with us due to the pandemic as well, was the last to leave before my husband and I uprooted ourselves from Massachusetts, our home for 40+ years, and moved to Maine. Our old home was empty.
We are a little blue without our children. We were fortunate to spend much more time with them at this stage of their lives than we would have normally, because of the pandemic. There is a ray of sunshine piercing the sadness, though, as we all move onto new adventures.

4.5" h x 9" w x 9" d

Materials: old checks, old address labels, membership cards & IDs, gouache, glue
Techniques: rolling, folding, random weave, painting, gluing

Sea Urchin Basket

The insulation covers come from copper alligator clips I use to hold things together when constructing my work. They are of no use to me, but I hate to waste anything. This basket is the answer to the question “What can you make with 100 pieces of the same object?”

2” h x 5” w x 5” d

Materials: 100 alligator clip insulation covers, cotton braiding cord
Techniques: stitching

Pain Containment Pod #4: Depression/Anxiety - detail

7” h x 23” w x 17” d
Materials: fiber rush, prescription bottles, nylon cord, dye

Techniques: twining, melting, boiling, dyeing, bleaching, hammering, filing, slashing

Materials: fiber rush, prescription bottles, nylon cord, dye

Techniques: twining, melting, boiling, dyeing, bleaching, hammering, filing, slashing