BACKSTREET GALLERY

I believe it is never too late to discover and nurture the creative forces that we all have within us in whatever form they may manifest themselves.  It wasn’t until I was in my mid-fifties, when the international law firm I worked for transferred me from an office in San Francisco, California to an office in rural Wheeling, West Virginia that I discovered that inner creative force that was waiting to be released.  For me it is about having a peaceful setting – a happy place - with room around me to feel the freedom that stimulates the creative juices.  Visual stimuli - textures, colors, and of course, everything that nature presents in all its glory, are my inspiration.  At the time, my creative expression appeared mostly in the form of collage.  I retired in 2014 and moved back to the West Coast to be closer to my siblings.  I had done some earlier scouting and it turns out that my decision to make Florence, Oregon my new home has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.  One year in, I decided to try my hand at pottery and discovered that I loved the hand building process.  In 2017 a friend invited me to attend a four hour weaving class for beginners at the Eugene Textile Center and I was hooked.  It has become my passion.  I pick a color scheme and then design as I weave on one of two sizes of table looms.  Most of my weavings hang from found driftwood, branches or ceramic pieces I have made.  All of my final creations are a result of what I feel and what I see during the process – my experience.  I hope they bring a smile to your face.