It took me some time before I discovered quilting arts but when I did in 2005 I intuitively knew this was my passion and would be for the rest of my life. Without further knowledge I hired a teacher and made my first piece at the end of that year and started my 2nd project immediately following the 1st. I lived in California at the time but at the end of the year we moved to the Antilles. It took 3 years to gather enough money to go back to the States to buy my own machine which arrived end of May. Since then I realized my 2nd project solo and just finished it this week. It represents an area called Kernville, Ca where we used to go hiking in the fall. The colors were simply wonderful and I printed them in my memory knowing I'd someday transpose them in quilting art. Looking back I must admit this was an ambitious project and I did sweat over it (and it had nothing to do with the heat here).
I live with my lover on the beautiful and unusual island of St Martin, I took one year of art classes to learn the basic requirements and translate it in quilting art. I usually create while jogging at 6AM on our 1.4 mile beach. The light, wonderful nature, incredible sunrises above the Atlantic ocean, the magic double and triple rainbows, the gloss on the leaves after the tropical rains, the beautiful colored trees and their delicious fragrance, the colorful birds and butterflies, all combine to feed my daily inspiration. My next piece will be a translation of that inspiration and of beautiful nature surrounding me.
Quilting art is more than quilting to me, I love to embelish my pieces with whatever tickles my fancy at the moment I create, among other things copper wires and wire meshes hold an irresistable fascination for me and I absolutely love everything that shines: glitter, sequins, beads, stones, pearls but I also enjoy incorporating natural elements in my pieces like cinnamon sticks, bark, grains, leaves, feathers, cotton (grows on the trees around my condo) and of course sand (lies all around me, tons of it, beautiful white, fine and oh so soft).
I'm 54 and a beginner but I intend to learn as much as possible to enable me to go forth with my art, to enable my creative spirit to come out and live among the wonderful magical world of fabrics and colors.
I love traveling, been on the roads for practically 35 years now and along the years I have gathered lots of memories that are now inprinted in my brain: those are associated with fragrances (the spice market in Istanbul), lights (in the Caribbean's and the desert), colors (also in the desert but also in the fall in California and at the Grand Canyon) and the love of life (in Crete, a Greek island). There are many more memories that live inside me, enough to last me for a lifetime. They are all a translation of my life and all pushing to be expressed on fabrics one way or another. When I discovered quilting I got a glimpse of an endless universe and knew I'd have to come back after death because I won't have enough time to do it all in this life.