Can you describe the journey your designs make — from the first early dream to gorgeous finished textile?
I like strict parameters for my creativity. For our block-printed work we use a “vocabulary” of about 14 shapes, which include various size rectangles, circles, triangles and squares. I love starting with these as the basis for everything. It’s amazing how many different patterns you can make with such a simple alphabet of shapes. I like having this framework as a jumping off point. Collections are inspired by simple things like the feeling of warm sand on bare feet, or the smell of Earl Gray tea on a foggy morning, or tall weeds blowing in the wind, or cotton fields in full bloom...Once I feel inspired I sort of let the work come through me instead of plotting it out. I hardly ever sketch.
We love your patternwork on our bandana collaboration. What is the inspiration behind that particular design and how did it come to be?
This pattern was inspired by the shadows created from the zigzag dune fences that line the beaches in New England. That was the starting point. I block printed on paper then cut the paper to form circles and arranged them in a new pattern.
Tell us your relationship with "Souls Grown Deep" and how it connects to your work?
During my pregnancy I became very inspired by the quilts of Gee’s Bend in Alabama. My most recent body of paintings are heavily steeped in this work. As a southerner, I felt a connection to the women who create these quilts and I wanted to support them in any way possible so that their beautiful creations continue for generations to come.