about

I began sewing at a young age to capture visions; by reinventing my dad's faded Lee jeans to fit my fourteen-year-old frame or by painstakingly embroidering a friend's perfectly worn-in Levi's as a gesture of gratitude for our friendship. Today my canvas—either slubby linen or hand-loomed khadi cotton—is the host for vibrant, hand-dyed colors carefully chosen to evoke a sense of depth and emotion. Pieces often speak to me as a community of colors and shapes in evolving, dynamic configurations. Sometimes the shapes are in lively conversation with each other and other times they are silently acknowledging one another, but to me it's always in passing, just a snapshot of a moving picture. I love to shift between creating large and small art pieces and crafting one-of-a-kind garments depending on the way an idea is calling to be expressed. 

At the heart of my process lies a (somewhat tortured) commitment to slow, focused and thoughtful making, albeit often with a marked frenzy on the inside. Dyeing, cutting, and sewing are my vehicles of expression that help me to communicate warmth, groundedness, and hopefully a little alchemical magic.

This is immersive work for me, and I hope that in turn these pieces offer a deep sensory and emotional experience for the viewer or wearer. Each piece is an individual narrative, a testament to the poetic dialogue between color, shape, and texture.

Thanks for reading,

Ellen