This quilt is part of a series I created for a gallery exhibit of miniature work. It features various small objects - items found in a junk drawer, perhaps - stitched to the surface under a snippet of vinyl. The viewer is invited to reflect on the collection of objects and form their own narrative of connections and meaning.

Disorder is part of my ongoing series examining mental health issues and our internal/public dialogue with these issues. It is often difficult for those who do not suffer from mental health concerns to understand the challenges and effect of such illnesses. Through this series, I hope to provide a metaphorical frame of reference of my own lived experience for the viewer.

El Perdedor is part of my on-going series on the lived experience of mental illness. Each piece offers symbolic and literal elements aimed at explaining – or helping viewers identify with – the emotions, sensations, and self-talk of mental illness. The metaphorical elements include the obvious: masks, anonymity, “differentness,” but also the deeply personal element: the mask is made from one of my own pieces of work. I leave the words up to the viewer to decipher.

I was invited to participate in a show which was part of the 250th anniversary celebration of the founding of Ellicott City, Maryland. The show, a collaboration between Howard County Arts and the Howard County Historical Society, asked artists to create work inspired by an object in the Historical Society's collection. 

My object was an aide memoire; the 19th century version of the pocket notepad. Each block in the album quilt relates to people, history, events, and characteristics of Ellicott City. My piece won the Historical Society's award.