A Perfect Day on the Eel River

I teach at an annual 5-day retreat on the Eel River in northern Mendocino County, where the swimming hole beckons at every break. While dipping in the clear water, I both saw and felt the movement of the current, and that experience was soon translated to cloth.

2014. 29"w x 45"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Super Moon Rising

On my way to spend a whole night watching the elcipse of the super moon, I drove past it rising behind a row of gnarled cypress trees. There are a lot of metallic trims and fabrics to catch the light.

2021. Approx 49"w x 61"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Overgrown

I made this quilt of my family's coastal ranch, where the deteriorating outbuildings are totally overgrown by a proliferation of healthy weeds.

2021. Approx 48"w x 66"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Granary Oak

I made this quilt after a walk in our oak woodlands, where I found this ancient granary oak tree full of acorns.

2019. Approx 28"w x 42"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Wild

This was a fun experiment with textural novelty embellishments to create the prolific jumble of weeds in the foreground.

2019. Approx 44"w x 30"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Lost Coast

I used lots of cheesecloth and organza to depict the shimmering air and water in this scene.

2019. Approx 32"w x 42"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Fogged In

I love our foggy northern California coastline, and made these three panels with multiple layers of tulle and organza to try to replicate the shimmery effect of fog.

2019. Approx 60"w x 60"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Summer Morning

I woke up early while teaching at a retreat on the Eel River, and couldn't resist capturing the scene in a quilt.

2018. Approx 24" x 36"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Winter Oak

The gnarled oak trees of the inland coastal valleys take on a haunted life of their own when they are dormant in the winter.

2018. Approx 20"w x 42"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Bodega Sunset

This I used a variety of shiny and transparent fabrics to replicate the light of the setting sun on the water.

2018. Approx 19"w x 55"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Night of the Super Moon

I made three panels of my interpretations of our eerie all-night celestial extravaganza of the 2018 super blue blood moon.

2018. Approx 59"w x 46"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

After a Good Rain

Another rainy scene after way too many years of drought.

2017. Approx 18" w x 43" h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, novelty synthetic fabrics, selvage edges, digitally printed photos, novelty trims, acrylic paint, ribbon, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by artist

Woodland Waterfall

I used cheesecloth to create a sense of motion in the little creek.

2017. Approx 18"w x 46"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

A Fine Spring Day on Old River Road

I used piles of snippets to portray the dancing yellow mustard flowers in a vineyard on the outskirts of my town.

2016. Approx 45"w x 32"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

The Blessing of Rain

I liked this scene of abundant flowing water enough to repeat it, using the same hand-dyed fabrics that I used on a previous quilt.

2016. Approx 24"w x 42"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

Arrival of Spring on Orr Creek

Part of my "Celebration of Rain" series, this piece depicts a view of Orr Creek in the hills outside Ukiah, where I frequently ride my mountain bike.

2016. Approx 31"h x 45"w.
Materials: Hand-dyed cotton fabric, novelty trims, rice paper, cheesecloth, tulle, Sulky variegated thread

Photo by the artist

The Gift of Water

It finally started raining after several years of severe drought, and I just couldn't get enough of creating water-related quilts. This one uses hand-dyed fabrics, cheesecloth and novelty trims.

2016. Approx 24"w x 42"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

A Fine Day on the Eel River

This piece was created while I was teaching at a 5-day retreat on the Eel River in northern Mendocino County. The rising sun on a summer morning backlit the water-sculpted rocks, and my inspiration couldn't wait until I got home.

2015. Approx 24"w x 36"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, metallic and novelty synthetic fabrics, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist

An Unexpected Snow

We don’t get snow all that often on the valley floor, and when we do it’s a magical experience for everybody, including the bluejays. These bold birds weren’t about to let a little snow get in the way of their feast on last summer’s unpicked apples.

2008. Approx 24"w x 36"h.
Materials: commercial cotton prints, novelty synthetic fabrics, cheesecloth, novelty trims, Sulky variegated thread, tulle

Photo by the artist