….the place where I most long to be,

is underneath the deep blue sea

Photo by Jim Oslislo

I live in New Jersey now but was a native New Yorker for most of my life. I was born in Staten Island, New York and lived in New York City, Northern Westchester and even upstate New York before settling in New Jersey in 2002. I moved to New Jersey to be closer to my brother, Steven, sister, Nancy and their families, which I really enjoy. I have one niece; Sarah who just got her first sewing machine so I am hoping there will be another textile person in the family. My parents still live in Staten Island but it is not that far away as long as you don't hit traffic.

I have a BS in Animal Behavior from the University of Wisconsin at Madison where I worked with primates at the Vilas Zoo and the Primate Research Laboratory where I worked on many projects with graduate students. I have a Masters of Education in Dance Therapy from NYU and have taught Psychodrama and Creative Arts Therapy at Brookdale College in NJ.

I had a grooming business for 15 years and raised border collies and poodles. I loved breeding dogs. I did not do it as a business since I would have been broke. (I cuisinarted the puppies food which consisted of free-range chicken and rice--and note, I rarely get free-range for myself). Seeing puppies open their eyes for the first time at about five weeks after talking to them and moving them around and cleaning up after them is an extraordinary experience. It is looking into their souls, and there is nothing sweeter than a puppies breath.

I did not have the confidence to pursue my art myself. I planned on doing Textile Art as something I loved. That changed when I was approached by someone who saw one of my pieces at a show and kept calling me to buy it. I wasn't ready at first since I wanted to create art for myself but after his fifth call, I got a friend of mine to appraise the quilt and she told me to sell it for $800.00. I thought that was a lot of money at the time for a piece I created but felt that if he wanted to buy it for that, I would sell it to him. He did and I have never looked back. Now when I create a piece, it is always for the purpose of sale though it does not affect what I do.

When I am not working, I love to be doing a physical activity outside. Luckily, my husband, Douglas, loves this also. We belong to a hiking club and go cross country skiing together. Our latest activity is scuba diving. It is the most challenging exercise I have ever done, both physically and mentally, and I wish I lived in a place where I could dive more of the year. I love being at a depth of 90 feet exploring the coral while swimming next to beautiful fish. The bonus is no television, cell phones or loud noises! We have two children, Ben is 17 and Sophie is 13. Ben plays basketball and is on the Varsity team at school. Sophie is happiest riding horses. We also live with two amazing dogs, Harry and La Redda who are toy red poodles. They are extremely smart and love to be with me when I am working at my computer or in my studio. My latest book, Quilt of States, could not have been done without the presence of Harry and La Redda. They think I am extremely talented and artists need to be reminded of that a lot!