Montgomery County Department of Parks & Recreation runs this gorgeous botanical garden in Wheaton, MD. A great place to visit! http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/

They commissioned 4 works from me - a gate, a canopy, a bench and an entrance piece. The gate, canopy and bench. The gate and canopy are what is shown here and were funded through the Montgomery County Parks Foundation. The entrance is waiting for a donor!!!

Photography by John Dean

Sassy bench was designed for Brookside Gardens. The Sassafras tree has three distinctly different leaves. I missed that info in grade school. It fascinated me, so I used the three leaves as the cut-outs on the bench back and painted it bright red!

Gate for Maryland Public Health Lab:
Protein diagrams, molecular structures and cell geometry refer to scientific analysis conducted by the Maryland Public Health Lab dedicated to the well being of the citizens of the state. When closed a DNA helix visually ties the two sides of the gate together. Interplay between solid and open shapes in the gate indicates a vital lively site reflecting community activity and many processes pursued within the building.
The gate automatically opens and closes.

Photography by John Dean

These pieces are investigations into the process of cutting and weaving mylar and paper together. Weaving images together creates a fusion of energy and concept.

I am fascinated by botanical forms and biological systems, I create work that embraces the fluidity and complexity of nature, reveling in curves and the interlacing plant or cellular forms. I immerse myself in the world of plants and insects in my garden.

My studio work involves the cutting, sewing and weaving of painted paper and Mylar. Some parts are pre-determined; others come into play purely by chance. The process becomes a balance between forethought and the unexpected. Realities merge into something new, both literally and figuratively.

Photography by Joseph Hyde, John Dean, and me

Woven drawings - drawings on paper and mylar cut up and woven together. Some pieces have an added element - brass sewn on.

I create woven dimensional drawings using images of leaves, seedpods, insects and sea creatures. These images are then altered and rebuilt by the weaving process itself. I cut, paint and sew paper, mylar and metal together--- weaving pattern into image, layering color, line and texture. Often a drawing on mylar is cut into strips, woven into a painted paper form, and a brass silhouette is stitched over it. These drawings reflect the natural world's cycle of transformation and yet acknowledge its timeless longevity.

I got a little tool that makes stripes when filled with acrylic paint- it's really fun. The quick physical process of drawing lines with it offsets the more studied process of weaving cut-out patterns - knots and matrix imagery -into one another.

Photography by John Dean

Co-Laboration: Front Stoop / Back Yard is a joint project installed at School 33 Art Center by Kelly Bell, Melissa Webb and me. It was funded through BOPA by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

Press release: "Using local front stoop and backyard neighborhood culture as a starting point, “Front Stoop/Back Yard” aims to be a quirky and delightful new meeting place for the community and a little sanctuary for urban birds. Artists Bell, DePalma, and Webb have constructed highly detailed birdhouses that are scale replicas of iconic Baltimore buildings – Penn Station, the Patterson Park Pagoda, the “Painted Ladies” of Charles Village and formstone row homes. Marble step and canvas awning constructions provide a shady spot to start a conversation. Painted screens installed in School 33’s windows overlook the garden. Collaborating as a group for the first time, the artists have used Baltimore’s architectural vernacular as an inspiration point to create a garden environment that connects with the senses and invites the community to interact with the surroundings."

Painted screens by Jessie Unterhalter & Katey Truhen

Site specific sculpture - entrances, railings, gates and other amenities for urban streetscapes

Photography by John Dean

The model and preliminary drawings for Particle Portal, the gate at Maryland Public Health Lab are included.

Other models for public art sculpture are an entrance for Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD and digital plans for sculpture at The Rawlings Conservatory in Baltimore, MD. Concept drawings for the Redline Art-in-Transit project - fences for two light rail stations - are included. It was a disappointment when the Governor cancelled the Red Line light rail project.

I was invited to apply for the Purple Line light rail project in Washington DC and was awarded an Art-in-Transit commission for Riggs Road Station. The area is designated as the Cultural Corridor - a very diverse community of people from around the world. Each fence panel design is inspired by some of the cultures that are in the area. The proposal is included here.

At the end of 2013 I left my position as Education Director for Youth Education at Creative Alliance - after 13 years. It was bittersweet, I have enjoyed working with the incredible staff and with wonderful partners. I have had the honor and opportunity to open doors to reading, stories and artwork skills for our community youth - over the years serving many young people who would not have the chance to experience the joy of making art if it weren't for the existence of Creative Alliance. As an appreciation I made drawings for my colleagues - these are the drawings.

Earlier woven drawing work