This exhibit is the result of my ideas, my craft, and years of experience printing Japanese woodblock prints, creating collages, artist books, and hand-made paper. Everything came together in “A Thread Runs Through It”, an Interactive 

Art Installation, with haiku poety. 

 My mother's hand-stitched quilts inspired me to create a technique, new to me, by stitching an embossed image made with hand-made paper on a carved woodblock. My process uses recycled, cotton, denim, and fine art paper to make pulp. Stitching adds details to the embossed designs. 

 A new technique forced me to explore and push boundaries with hand-made paper. I am convinced that a body of artwork can be produced in a small space on a limited budget. I use wood and cotton; natural materials. Jade R Reversible PVA Bookbinding glue was used to attach backs and string.

Drawing is the creative act of making marks on paper. I stitch marks with thread on hand-made pulp paper. Stitching on strong paper requires more preparation and time than stitching on fabric. This has been a challenging and meditative art experience for me.

I am excited to exhibit my hand-made paper in an art gallery. My objective is to open conversation about craft, art, and hand-made paper. One of my Japanese woodblock teachers, Richard Steiner, taught his students: “Art is the idea, and 

craft is the quality of materials used to bring the idea to life.” 

My art library has a worn book illustrating Japanese Crests. In the eleventh century high-ranking courtiers used specific textile designs for formal costumes worn at the Imperial Court. I am fascinated by these simple, iconic images of flowers, birds, water, and nature. I use these circle crest images throughout my work today.

As I work, I remember what my watercolor teacher, Arthur Turner, taught me:

“Art is about solving problems”. 



This process brought many issues to be resolved. I learned that art also teaches us:  

 “Life is about solving problems.”