24" x 24" x 2" Acrylic, gouache, ink, tissue paper and hand embroidery on tissue paper on wood panel. Hardware installed, ready to hang

This piece is the first piece of my emerging "Beasts II: Heritage Breeds and Heirloom Seeds" series. Like my "Beasts" series this project celebrates animal breeds which are at the center of a conservation effort. I use my unique process of using hand embroidery on layers of tissue paper that is incorporated into the mixed media works as a way to give homage to hand crafts of our ancestors. This series differs from the Beasts series (large portraits of endangered and at risk animal and plant species) in that the pieces are smaller and I am adopting a looser, intuitive style to the execution of the works. The hand embroidery is used in a manner that is candid and responds to the contact with the given moment. I strive to use thread as I would a pencil when sketching and putting down ideas. 

This piece was awarded first place for creativity by the juror, Barry Van Dusen in the Princeton Arts Society 25th Anniversary show in the spring of 2016. 

A painting from another planet! Organic forms that are both familiar and strange at the same time; soft harmonious palette; unexpected use of materials with needlepoint and quilted elements at the core." -Barry Van Dusen