My love of art and of creating things began as early as I can remember. In kindergarten other kids would ask me to draw pictures of bunny rabbits for them. I started taking art lessons in the second grade from a college student who lived up the street from me in my home town of Corning, New York. About the same time I started experimenting with my mother's old Kenmore sewing machine and began to make doll clothes and other small treasures.
We had an exceptional art program in our public school system and I had exposure to many different art media and I loved them all. I adopted different skills and ideas from each of these classes. For example, in eighth grade I took a class in Japanese sumi painting. I liked the idea that all sumi artists sign their names using the same orange-red colored ink. Today I sign my work using a similar color.

As a quilt artist I am primarily self-taught but I did take some quilting lessons from a nearby Amish quilter and studied the Amish style of using color & geometric designs. I find Amish quilts to be amazingly sophisticated in their simplicity. I was taught that "blue is blue" to an Amish quilter meaning that any color of blue, regardless of tone, is used where a blue piece of fabric is called for in a quilt without concern that it isn't the same color of blue to the rest of the blue pieces in the quilt. This provides so much interest to a piece in my opinion This stands contrast to the overly-matched solids & prints, that in my opinion, spoil many modern quilt styles. This color technique was difficult for me to adopt as it often meant choosing colors that I thought were unattractive or clashed with neighboring colors. Learning to use what the Amish call "sparkle colors" opened my eyes to a new perspective on choosing and using color in my work. Sparkle colors are clear, pale pastel colors that are only a few shades off white. Colors that I would never have chosen because they reminded me of Easter eggs. But when these colors are sparingly & skillfully incorporated into a quilt they add a great deal of life. They are in fact called sparkle colors because if you view a quilt containing them by candle light the colors appear bright and seem to sparkle.

Inspiration
While digging through a messy pile of bargain books at a local book store I found a book called The Passionate Quilter by Michele Walker. I happily paid $2.95 for my treasure and discovered the inspiration that I needed to pursue my dream to become an artist. The book featured a quilter named Janet Bolton who made quilts that were tiny little pictures. It was this technique of creating an illustration using fabric that was a perfect combination of skills to suit me.

Design Process
I need to be busy and have always felt that the best use of my time is creating something. I am a student of observation and enjoy interpreting what I see in my everyday world into something beautiful and hand made. Somehow things I see are often translated into little stories that make great subject matter for little quilts.

I have a great adoration for early quilts and will often interpret design elements from Civil War era and slave made quilts in my own work. One of my favorite quilts "Lilith Plays Devil's Advocate" and a series of Garden of Eden quilts were inspired by a story about red heads that I heard on National Public Radio.

When creating my picture quilts I am minimally concerned with straight lines and precise measurements. It is these aspects of traditional quilting techniques and styles that I find too confining. I choose to focus completely on the visual impact of the finished project which I believe gives my work a folk art appeal.

Materials
My quilts are constructed of cotton fabrics with cotton batting and backing. The pictures are hand appliquéd and hand quilted. I sometimes embellish my quilts with vintage buttons & beads. My quilts are usually sold mounted in a simple frame using archival techniques. Quilts can also be purchased mounted on acid-free foam core and without a frame.

My butterfly brooches were inspired by the beautiful insects that visit my garden. I enjoyed the challenge of developing a construction technique that allows me to bring my inspiration to life. Now I can wear these beautiful creatures as a personal adornment. Ironically, I have an irrational fear of insects and could never allow a living butterfly to crawl on me!

My butterflies are constructed totally by hand. I carve the bodies, assemble the wings and hand paint each piece. I use 23k gold leaf and Swarovski crystal rhinestones to add a jewel-like quality to the pieces.
Butterflies can be created to realistically match a certain species or to coordinate with the wearer's outfit for a special occasion

Why City Folk?
City folk is a name that describes my approach to life. "City" because I am a born explorer who loves exotic travel outside the USA and who frequently makes expeditions into near-by Philadelphia & New York City. "Folk" because, in my mind I have created my own little fantasy world. I imagine a place out in the country where everything is peaceful, beautiful, and made by hand. Through my artistic endeavors I aspire to bring that place into reality.

My husband , our two daughters and I enjoy a peaceful life in the countryside of Chester County Pennsylvania. As a result, farm animals and country life are favorite subjects and recurring themes in my quilts.

Custom Pieces
I am frequently asked to create custom pieces and am happy to do so. I prefer to work on these pieces after being given a request for a particular design element or color, a grey horse for example, as a starting point.