In Memory: Fran Potter
People can come into your life at magical, meaningful times, and this was certainly true of my relationship with Fran Potter. I was just embarking on the transition from Montessori school to unschool homeschooling—a learning adventure for which my mom was the great champion. As a family physician, she was confident in teaching math and […]
Making Liberation
If you’ve noticed a quietness to my blog and social media lately, it’s because I’ve been nose-down in my studio, finishing a massive project. The scale of this project goes beyond just the physical finished piece, which received its last punch, stitch, and steam this week. When I signed up to take the Oxford punch […]
The Practice of Color
This month, I’ve been deep into the writing process of part 4 of my design course: Color Fluency. Here is a snippet of that work I wanted to share with you. The common focus on teaching color as theory can leave the creative mind feeling like they’ve been handed a whole bunch of rules they […]
Introducing: The Story in the Image
Excerpt from Writings for the Next Episode of my Design Course There’s a light post in a dense forest. It’s winter, and snowflakes are gently catching in your hair as you climb through the backside of a forgotten wardrobe… Grandmother is looking mighty peculiar with her long ears, large eyes, and sharp teeth as she […]
Wise and Foolish Virgins Tapestry Webinar
This past winter, I was asked by Vesterheim Folk Arts School to develop a tapestry course inspired by their Wise and Foolish Virgins-themed pieces in their collection. It was a delightful challenge that also made me curious to learn more about these iconic, historic Norwegian tapestries, the women that wove and used them, and the […]
Stitching with Wool
I learned embroidery as a kid the old-fashioned way, from my mother. She had learned from her mother as well, just as Grandma had learned from Great-Grandma. I loved the quiet, gentle rhythm of the stitches and the design coming to life as each new color and design element was added. Mom had a whole […]
Fundamentals of Composition: Journey and Pedagogy
“Always leave something off the page,” ~Madeline Sattler, my art teacher Certain memorable people touch us on our creative journey, and we will never forget them. This is certainly true of key artistic mentors on my path, including tapestry weaver Fran Potter (many of you have likely heard me tell stories about Fran!) and my […]
Embracing the Creative Journey
My first run of “Developing a Designer’s Eye” recently wrapped up, offering an immersive invitation to liberate our creative souls. Many of the students who participated I’ve now known for more than a year, and to watch them blossom and explore through this journey together was both beautiful and inspiring. Through the 5-minute timed writing […]
Writing to Access Our Creativity
This week launched the first of five segments of my courses in design. “Developing a Designer’s Eye” is all about embracing the creative journey and lifestyle, which is both astoundingly beautiful and tough inner work. As part of our first Zoom gatherings, I invited the students to use Natalie Goldberg’s tried-and-true method of the timed […]
Reframing Our Relationship with Discipline
I can hear the groan even on mute during a recent Zoom meeting with fellow tapestry weavers and members of the Weaver’s Guild of Minnesota. We’re choosing our theme for our next Sunday evening gathering, coming up in March. The discussion prompt I’ve just tossed on the table is on creating a daily practice and […]
