I first learned to weave on an inkle belt loom at a girl scout meeting when I was ten. In high school, I drove from my home in Stamford, Connecticut to nearby Greenwich to learn floor loom weaving from fabric designer and author Klara Cherepov.
I hold a B.A. from the University of Connecticut and a masters, in print journalism, from American University. After a few years working on Capitol Hill for a major newspaper (in the teletype and typewriter era), I moved to Vinalhaven, Maine. The island is a place where knowing the phases of the moon and the tides without looking at a chart is instinctive. I started a seasonal retail store, weaving in the winter and selling in the summer. The store ran for a decade.
In the mid 70's, I made a life-changing six month trip to a weaving and design school in Oslo, Norway. It was as if I had lived in Norway in another life. Things made sense: the politics; the emphasis on the environment; and the strong, simple sense of design. The origins of the clean nordic style were so clear everywhere: the cobalt sky meeting a black building; the ends of logs in a woodpile; and the almost startling light.
I learned to go from two to three dimensions in fibers from sculptural knitter Katharine Cobey, of Cushing, Maine. This was huge! She also taught me that fiber work has something to say.
I have chosen the chameleon as my symbol.
It represents elements of importance to me:
nature, color and change.