Life here on ‘my island in the Pacific’ is wonderful! There is so much here to inspire me- the light, the colours, the wildlife, the mountains and trees. Visit my gallery to see some of my West Coast inspired work. Art -in some form or other- has always been a part of my life. Since I was a child, I sketched and painted right along with my sewing -making clothes for myself. Then, during a six-year visit to Australia, I became interested in batik. I designed and made casual batik clothing for sale, learning a lot about dyeing fabric and using colour along the way.

After returning to Canada, my focus shifted to quiltmaking and by 1997 I was teaching colour classes for quilters. This has led to teaching many different classes for all levels of students. I am a member of several fun quilting groups, my local guild, the Canadian Quilters' Association (CQA/ACC), APNQ (Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters) and AQS (American Quilters Society). I also belong to a surface design group- the members of which experiment in various mediums, not just fabrics! I live just outside the little town of Qualicum Beach with my husband, daughter, 2 dogs, one cat and a small flock of sheep.

Dyeing and painting my own fabrics for so many years has bulked up my stash somewhat! The colours and textures grab my attention- I am bombarded by ideas but I am limited by time. I keep several idea books, so I always have one handy to jot or sketch thoughts and impressions. I will never run out of ideas. However when I need to work on a new piece for an exhibit or class sample, I will thumb through my little books and combine ideas and techniques I have wanted to try. You might think this would “cross something off the list”, but it’s not so! Usually it inspires a new direction and more ideas. Very exciting!

I have always been interested in both realism and abstraction in art. As an artist working in fabric, my pieces often reflect nature and life on the West Coast. The influence of my environment is apparent even in my more traditional works.  Some of my work reflects a more realistic view of my surroundings. I find that depicting a scene or wildlife realistically using fabric has its challenges. Most of the time I have found that it’s not the ‘perfect duplicate’ fabric that works best, but a fabric that suggests the texture or pattern I am trying to replicate.

Textures, colours, and illusions are all brought together in this one medium- textile art. Textile art has connections to many different art forms. Subtly sculptured surfaces create bas-relief – a technique used since ancient times. Colours evoke emotional responses and cultural connections. Illusions are entertainment- puzzles for the mind.


I feel that the traditions of quiltmaking have a place in today’s textile art. The present examples of any art form always have roots in history. I like to go back to the roots of patchwork- using geometric patterns- with contemporary fabrics. I keep thinking about distorting and/or altering the lines of these old favorites and exploring different value and colour placements. I will be posting pictures of some of my works in progress as I investigate these ideas.