Being born an aesthete, seeing beauty is the core of my Life perception…The last 35 years of my life have been devoted to recognizing and accentuating beauty, whether in faces, houses, gardens, objects or my own creations. 

From early childhood, I have been surrounded by an artistic family that is gifted in both visual and healing arts. As a child, I would occupy myself by playing a game where I would look at things and find myself recreating them in my mind to show their full potential. I would let myself travel deep within the subject, and let it’s soul speak to me and guide me in the process of bringing it’s beauty to light, so others too could see it, too.

In my early twenties, I designed and opened the first European Day Spa in Saratoga Springs, NY. I spent over 25 years “beautifying” many faces and building very deep, healing relationships. Eventually, I expanded into three locations, with the inclusion of a unique gift store.

I love interior design and decorating, and after spending several years redoing the interior of my own home and creating a very unique landscape around it, I moved on to other houses.

This was the spontaneous beginning of my next business: creating Vacation Rental Homes. In the process of growing that business, I strove to create in each of our retreats a unique experience reflecting the ambiance, cultural character and natural environment of the area. A confluence of nature's beauty with interior design was communicated through color harmony, original art, music collections, and the intimate warmth of a loved home.

After I finished creating my fourth rental house my child said, “Mom, you have four houses, now you can buy a hotel!” Indeed, I had purchased some land in the pristine Guatemalan jungle and was set to build one. I visualized a holistic retreat center that would encompass all of my strengths and experiences. I’ve spent a good amount of time there and faced many challenges, but in the end, my life took a different turn and my romance with Guatemala faded, or perhaps it has just come to a pause…

It was when I was diagnosed with cancer, that I was forced to make changes and revaluate my life. It made me slow down…to walk, instead of run…to sit and stare…to pay attention to the world around me, to all the little not-so-little things. I learned to surrender to the pace of Nature…I learned to hear the world which speaks to me; the plants, the animals, the ocean…and eventually, to heal…

It was Easter time and I decided to color some eggs in onion skins like we used to do in Europe when I was a child. I loved the rich, nutty ochre color, and decided to strip out of the white shirt I was wearing and add it to the onion skin brew. Was it the champagne that I was drinking for the Easter celebration, or some greater force taking me on a new adventure in my life??? 

My fascination with natural color opened the floodgates to new experiences in natural dyeing and botanical printing, deepening my relationship with plants. I learned about the properties of metals for mordanting, studied ancient techniques of applications, including shibori, and moved on to rust printing and both nuno and needle felting.

Since my husband and I were growing our organic garden already it was only natural that I expanded it to include plants for dyeing.

I reawakened skills that I haven’t used in a long while: knitting, sewing, stitching and fashion design. I started by taking apart old sweaters, naturally dyeing the yarn and creating anew.  Repurposing whenever possible and using minimal natural resources: this is the core of my practice! I make my own color baths from those materials which are plentifully available around me rather than buying powders. While this could be considered a disadvantage, as one is not able to recreate the same exact color, for me that makes it even more special, as each item created is totally unique and one of a kind.

I have always had a very strong connection to Mother Earth, and now I feel that with these new studies this has became even deeper. I love wearing garments that are saturated with plant essence; it makes me feel like Her arms are around me.

I now spend a good amount of my life on my beloved Hatteras Island in North Carolina. On my many walks, I collect numerous gifts: shells, or remains of them (I like those the best), driftwood, feathers. I get so excited when I find teeth and bones! It is when I see the breathtaking beauty of the intricate work of Mother Nature that I feel most inspired. It was here on the island, looking at my “treasures,” that I started to think about creating jewelry to accompany my textiles.

For my jewelry designs, I like to combine raw materials of found objects, semiprecious and natural stones, ancient and contemporary tribal beads and pendants from around the world, seed beads, shells, horns, teeth, bones and other special pieces that I find in antique and second hand stores.

I have walked many trails and traveled many countries in my life. When my youngest child was about to leave for college, I started to feel the pangs of pain that an empty nest brings to mothers. I decided that rather than stay home and feel sorry for myself, I would embrace this difficult transition and embark on a Spiritual Journey of my own! I decided to walk the 700 mile ancient trek, the Camino de Santiago, across Spain, in honor of mothers and children around the world, raising over $7,000 to support UNICEF. This experience was a truly transformational rite of passage.

Whether climbing Machu Picchu, hiking active volcanoes, or exploring the cultures of Asia, I have always been attracted to the indigenous people and their creative arts. In my travels, I have collected many interesting items, and find great pleasure in wearing traditional ethnic textiles or jewelry mixed and matched with my contemporary wardrobe. One of my strong instincts and gifts is the ability to visualize and put things together in a unique and untraditional way.

I inherited the style of my mother, her clean and elegant lines. She was a true lady, a great artist, and a very successful fashion designer. I also have the “Gypsyness” of my father: his free spirit, love of Nature, and flamboyant wildness. I have come to realize that both my life, and my work, reflect them both. I love bold statements with clean finish lines. My internal Feng Shui compass leads me to balance them well.

I seek to create and share original pieces which make a statement. These pieces each have their own spirit; each and every one is a “Child of Love,” infused with and emanating from the “Wise Crone” within my soul.