Vessels
The vessel series started with a ’What if?’ question
while making some of the structures for my botanical series.
What if I leave these pieces open?
Contact me to purchase as many of these vessels are traveling at exhibitions throughout the country
Receptaculum IV : Arbores unus
(Tree one receptacle)
Method:
Machine quilted, machine raw edge appliqued, hand & machine constructed
Materials:
Materials Cotton & other textiles, an old quilt with polyester batting, and thread.
Receptaculum VI: Iris sibirica disseminated
Method:
Machine quilted, machine thread painted, machine raw edge applique, hand & machine constructed, hand cut
Materials:
Reclaimed decorator samples and other textiles, cotton batting thread, wire matte medium
Verdant, Viridis pratum & Azure Aqua
(Green, Green Grass & Azure Aqua)
a series of 6 vessels
Inspired by the streams and rivers in Central Pennsylvania that feed into the Chesapeake Bay and the farmlands that surround them. Reusing textiles discarded by designers and decorators, I create with small bits of ephemeral fabrics from sample books & leftover scraps from other work. Once used, I cannot replace them. Textile production is a resource-intensive industry: the more I keep out of the landfills the more at peace I feel with my chosen medium. Once a traditional flat quilter, my work now rises from the surface to escape the boundaries of flat surface art, becoming increasingly abstract, with sculptural elements trying to leave the quilt that taunts the viewer to reach out and touch
Method:
Machine quilted, machine thread painted, machine raw edge applique, hand & machine constructed
Materials:
Materials: Reclaimed wool tablecloth, decorator samples and other textiles, cotton batting, thread, wire
Verdant, Viridis pratum & Azure Aqua I (Green, Green Grass & Azure Aqua I)
Verdant, Viridis pratum & Azure Aqua II (Green, Green Grass & Azure Aqua II)
The Whitewashed Series:
I’ve always made pretty, happy art.
The last few years the anxiety has built as I listened to the words that
came out of the mouths of the community where I live.
Politicians are trying to gaslight us, whitewashing over the facts.
Pretending inconvenient realities don’t exist.
Skewing realities.
Creating a dizzying spin.
Whitewashed series: Mine?
Method:
Machine quilted, machine thread painted, machine raw edge applique, hand & machine constructed
Materials:
Materials: Reclaimed wool tablecloth, decorator samples and other textiles, cotton batting, thread, wire
Whitewashed series: Human. Kind?
Method:
Machine quilted, machine thread painted, machine raw edge applique,
hand & machine constructed
Materials:
Reclaimed decorator samples and other textiles, cotton batting, thread
White Series: Uncle Sam Divided
I’ve always made pretty, happy art. The last few years the anxiety has built as I listened to the words that came out of the mouths of the community where I live. Politicians gaslighting us, whitewashing over the facts. Uncle Sam Divided is the first of 3 vessels in the series created during the ICE raids in Minnesota in early 2026.
The original Uncle Sam quilts were made in 1995. I’ve been cutting up and sewing over old quilts, bringing them up to date with the way I work now. Words are shouted at us to convince us to not believe what we are seeing. Many of the letters and words are the same but mean very different things depending on who is saying them. Has the division become too great?
Method:
Machine quilted, machine raw edge applique, hand & machine constructed
Materials:
Repurposed quilts, cotton & other textiles, cotton batting, thread, glue, matte medium
White Series: Uncle Sam Under Fire
I’ve always made pretty, happy art. The last few years the anxiety has built as I listened to the words that came out of the mouths of the community where I live. Politicians gaslighting us, whitewashing over the facts. Uncle Sam Under Fire is the second of 3 vessels in the series created during the ICE raids in Minnesota in early 2026. There are 13 holes in this piece for the 13 times Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot.
The original Uncle Sam quilts were made in 1995. I’ve been cutting up and sewing over old quilts, bringing them up to date with the way I work now. Words are shouted at us to convince us to not believe what we are seeing. Many of the letters and words are the same but mean very different things depending on who is saying them. We feel we are under fire from those who should be making us feel safe.
Method:
Machine quilted, machine raw edge applique, hand & machine constructed, set afire
Materials:
Repurposed quilts, cotton & other textiles, cotton batting, thread, glue, matte medium
White Series: Uncle Sam Torn Asunder
I’ve always made pretty, happy art. The last few years the anxiety has built as I listened to the words that came out of the mouths of the community where I live. Politicians gaslighting us, whitewashing over the facts. Uncle Sam Under Fire is the second of 3 vessels in the series created during the ICE raids in Minnesota in early 2026.
The original Uncle Sam quilts were made in 1995. I’ve been cutting up and sewing over old quilts, bringing them up to date with the way I work now. Words are shouted at us to convince us to not believe what we are seeing. Many of the letters and words are the same but mean very different things depending on who is saying them. Our country is being torn apart by corruption for power and money..
Method:
Machine quilted, machine raw edge applique, hand & machine constructed, shredded with a knife
Materials:
Repurposed quilts, cotton & other textiles, cotton batting, thread, glue, matte medium
Receptaculum III: puer universum transites femina incrementum
(A Boy’s World’s transition growth to a woman receptacle)
I made this quilt for my oldest son when he was 2 years old, it was handed down to my second child and loved to tatters. It grew soft and worn with all the washings then tucked away as it was outgrown. As my child grew into an adult she realized she was in the wrong body and her transition began.
Method:
Machine quilted, machine raw edge appliqued, hand & machine constructed
Materials:
Materials Cotton & other textiles, an old quilt with polyester batting, and thread.
Receptaculum I: Lutcus lumen
(Orange light receptacle)
Traveling with the SAQA Global Context in Color: Blue until the end of 2028
For purchase inquiries, please contact William Reker, Director of Global Exhibitions at exhibitions@saqa.art or 937-912-5009.
Method:
Machine quilted, machine raw edge appliqued, hand & machine constructed
Materials:
Materials Cotton & other textiles, an old quilt with polyester batting, and thread.
Receptaculum II: Caeruleum tenebra
(Cerulean blue darkness receptacle)
Traveling with the SAQA Global Context in Color: Blue until the end of 2028
For purchase inquiries, please contact William Reker, Director of Global Exhibitions at exhibitions@saqa.art or 937-912-5009.
Method:
Machine quilted, machine raw edge appliqued, hand & machine constructed
Materials:
Materials Cotton & other textiles, an old quilt with polyester batting, and thread.
Receptaculum V: Iris sibirica
Method:
Machine quilted, machine thread painted, machine raw edge applique, hand & machine constructed, hand cut
Materials:
Reclaimed decorator samples and other textiles, cotton batting thread, wire, matte medium
This piece has found a home.