Q: What are you most inspired by?
A: Nature, the human experience, our interior worlds, magic, play, folk art, history, mythology, outer space, and other realms.

Q: Your work flows between a few different mediums like textiles, painting and sculpture, as well as activation through photography and travel. Does your approach and intention change noticeably between these mediums?
A: I think I consistently work in a very intuitive way, but the pacing shifts between methods. Sculpture, sewing, and planning projects can take a more methodical approach, whereas printing textiles, creating works on paper, and photo projects feel more loose and intuitive. I like working in the moment as much as possible, and not feeling fixed. I’m open to things changing and shifting, failing and transforming, and I think I carry that intention across all mediums.

Q: How did you get into the marble bath process of dyeing and making art?
A: I have worked within the world of textile art for a very long time—tie-dyeing, sewing, painting, and manipulating fabrics, etc. When I experimented with marbling I became obsessed with the process and the potential it had for experimentation. I’ve been pushing its limitations ever since.

Q: You are originally from an isolated island in Maine but have lived in Ridgewood, Queens for a while. Do both places influence your work in any particular tangible or visual way?
A: My work used to be very informed by my location, but I think now it is more informed by my emotions and experiences. I think living in the city has probably subconsciously influenced my work, as I do make a lot of streetwear now. I am still and will always be inspired by the deep relationship with nature I had growing up, and always return to illustrating and evoking that feeling in my work.

Q: You are also a new mom? Life must be a little different now. Do you approach your work with a new perspective or have different goals than before?
A: Everything is different now! My priorities have definitely shifted, but I am still committed to my work and think it is important to maintain that for myself and for my daughter. I am putting less pressure on myself than before and am accepting the unavoidably slower pace. Time feels different now—elastic and bizarre and very precious—so when I am at the studio I am focused and organized to make the most of my limited time here. My goals are more far-reaching than before, because I want to be able to provide the best life for my kid.

Q: Some of your work depicts magical, mystical, and angelic characters. Are angels, spirits, creatures, and mythical/mystical beings something you have always felt connected to?
A: Yes. I was raised in a very mystical family, with elves hiding behind corners and fairies peeking in windows, as well as ghosts and angels and witchy spirits making appearances. My parents worked in the healing arts when I was growing up. We meditated a lot, went to pagan ritual gatherings, fed the fairies cardamom biscuits every spring, and had bowls of crystals soaking in water on our window sills. I’ve had some intense experiences with spirits too. I think the magical world will always weave its way into the things I make.

Q: You mentioned having a particular fondness for swans. How did this come to be?
A: I once saw a swan swimming in the sea and followed it from along the beach. It was swimming in huge waves and froth. I had never seen a swan in the sea like that before. I loved how strong and fearless it seemed, different from the passive swans I was used to seeing in calm pools and lakes. After I experienced that, I started collecting swan things, and I found a huge decoy swan at a store in Eastport, Maine that has since become my studio mascot. Swans appear in lots of myths and old stories and have a connection to the otherworld. I also feel connected to snakes, spiders, and donkeys.

Q: You studied sculpture? What’s your favorite material to work with when making three-dimensional work?
A: I really like working with wood and wood scraps, wire and fabric, and clay. I’ve begun exploring ceramics the past few years and am excited to incorporate that into my sculptural work in the future.

Q: You bring a playful activation to your art by wearing it, interacting, and engaging it with nature and travel. What have been some favorite locations you’ve taken your work to for these artful adventures?
A: I created a collection completely off the grid when I was caretaking a remote island in Maine in 2013. I used fishing nets and rocks and solar dyes to make the fabrics, an old foot-powered sewing machine to sew the clothes, and beach pebbles to make the buttons. My friend Emma wore the pieces while standing on a rock surrounded by the ocean that only appeared at low tide, and I photographed her from a rowboat.

Q: You mentioned creating playlists to accompany different collections. How does music influence your work? Can you share a playlist that you feel connected to now?
A: I am a bit music-obsessed and used to have a weekly radio show on KPISS FM. Experimental, ambient, and strange music is so inspiring to me because it takes me on a magical journey, but I listen to a huge range of stuff. I can’t really sing or play instruments, so I am in awe of and so appreciative of musicians. I often prefer working in silence at the studio, but at home we always have music on and I feel that it expands my mind and my heart. I make a lot of playlists to accompany collections when I release them. Here is one that was inspired by the calm that you experience in nature—it’s called Waterfall Forest: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mckMxWyz9U7ttH84ljcrN?si=09ed9e1414454a1c

Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am working on a new body of prints on paper, where faces emerge from amorphous patterns, blobs, and splatters. I’m framing these prints with some handmade wooden frames that are treated with the same marbling technique, so they merge into and out of one another. These new prints are investigating themes of motherhood—the blurred edges of my physical form as a mother with a small baby attached at the hip, breast, hand, soul. They feel more personal and introspective than previous works, and I hope to show them in the near future.