Swarm

08/06/2026

Goodbyes.

Missing mom today on her birthday. I was never really around for her birthdays. I moved away from home when I was 18 and never moved back. I was incredibly close with my parents - the distance did not matter. But I never had that - let me pop over for a cup of tea moment - never. So when we would spend time together - it was quality time. But mom hated the goodbyes. Ever since the first move at 18 from Rochester to Albany (just a 4 hour drive away) the goodbyes became difficult for her. So to break the tension they decided to make it over the top. I would get in my car, they would be standing in the doorway of the house. As I would start pulling away the door would fly open and both would start running after the car waving frantically yelling goodbye - chasing my car down the driveway and down the street - waving, yelling goodbye. All of us laughing hysterically. Did this every visit till the last. Miss those goodbyes.

Photo circa 1998. Mom and dad visiting me when I lived in Seattle.

06/06/2026

Continuing to play with the hand made marble panels. This time large pouches with an added element of leaf stencils with a tad bit of hand painting. What do you think?

05/06/2026

New marble in the shop.

I really enjoy making marble cloth. It’s very soothing work—creating patterns in the dip pans with multiple colors feels almost meditative, a bit “zen.” I’m especially drawn to color combinations that are slightly unexpected. Whenever I use a bright color, I usually pair it with an earth tone. Brights on their own often feel a little too intense for me, but balanced with softer, grounded colors, they come alive in a different way.

The process of marbling is quite involved and requires a great deal of preparation. There’s washing and mordanting the fabric, cutting, ironing, and other steps before it’s even ready to be dipped. It can also be unpredictable; sometimes everything works beautifully, and sometimes it doesn’t. But I suppose that uncertainty is part of the process and part of what makes it interesting.

Once the dipping is complete, there is still rinsing, drying, and more ironing before the real creative work begins. That’s when I start combining patterns—mixing and matching designs that coordinate and complement one another. Bringing those pieces together to create a one-of-a-kind pillow, bag, or pouch is one of my favorite parts of the process.

02/06/2026

Starting to pack up studio for move to new apartment in town and separate studio. Will miss this place - but keep telling myself - change is good. Thought I would do a better job of documenting some of my favorite bits. Just a tad dogcentric!

31/05/2026

Think this is my favorite photo of STuK. His eyes. Sums up his personality. The sweetest.

22/05/2026

New paintings in the shop. Link in profile.

20/05/2026

New painting bags in the shop. Link in profe.

19/05/2026

New painting bags in the shop. Link in profile.

17/05/2026

Ateliers at Ruigoord.

16/05/2026