My work begins with observation. I am drawn to places, objects, and moments that catch my attention and stay with me. Sometimes it is an overlooked detail, sometimes an ordinary object that begins to suggest a story, and sometimes a scene I simply want to keep looking at.

I translate those observations into representational wall works that begin with fabric. I often add ink, paint, or colored pencil before completing the work with machine stitching, which adds both line and texture. From across a room, the work can appear photographic or painterly. Up close, the construction becomes apparent: pieces of fabric, drawn and painted details, layers, edges, and lines of machine stitching. I like that shift in perception and the way the work rewards a closer look.

Moving from California to Portugal in 2024 has meant learning to see a new place while gradually finding my own place within it. The experience has changed the way I think about home, and questions of belonging and putting down roots have naturally entered some of my work.

My years working in theater also influence the way I see. I find quiet theatricality in everyday life, whether in costumes waiting without performers or flowers arranged at a market. At other times, I create that theatricality myself, carefully arranging objects on a mantel or staging a self-portrait to express an idea.

Whether observed, staged, or imagined, I create these works because I want to explore their possibilities in fabric and encourage others to see familiar things a little differently.