Beginner's - ArtTrader Magazine

Art TRADER
m a g a z i n e
What themes, artists (visual, performing, etc.) or outside influences inspire you?
I’m drawn to oddness: to textures, layers and ephemera; to antiques; to romance and flowers; to erotica;
and to moody, soulful, mystical, or dark objects. I get excited about rich fabrics like mohair, brocade,
velvet and silk, and always find inspiration in the sweetness of a child’s face. Venetian masks inspire
me, as does a beautiful piece of vintage satin lingerie or ornate, antique costuming. I am enamored of
all things European, particularly France. Japanese themes — pop culture, cherry blossoms, beautiful
geisha — are a recent inspiration. And I own that, like so many others, I’m not yet over my drooling
infatuation with Sofia Coppola’s bon-bon-and-gilt vision of Marie Antoinette and her 18th century life of
luxury.
Lately, I’m absolutely vibrating with excitement about Santos, especially antiques. They have a wonderful
patina of age; a spiritual glow that really captures me. And I love that they’re mixed media, with glass
eyes and plaster heads and metal halos and wooden bodies, their legs replaced by a skirt-shaped cage.
I’m sure their influence will show up somewhere in my art, very soon. Maybe I’ll make a doll.
Your bears are exquisite, what materials do you use to make them?
First of all, thank you for the very kind compliment! It never gets old to hear that my bears appeal.
Seriously. Tell me again. *smile*
Regarding materials: I’ve dabbled in synthetics and (vintage, repurposed) mink, but most of my
bears—99.9% of my bears — are made of mohair, which comes from the angora goat, just like cashmere.
But while cashmere is basically animal hair — goat wool that’s been gathered, then spun into yarn—
mohair is created when a woven fabric backing (usually cotton or linen) is dotted with tufts of hooked-in
wool to create a hairy pile.
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