Considering myself an alchemist, textile painter. I take ordinary pieces of cotton and transform them into large shapes of glorious, luminous colors. I bring together disparate elements of quilting, modern abstraction, human interactions, and the grittiness of urban life to re-imagine the traditional, small and fussy work of sewing into a visual narrative on the collective human experience.

My work has been widely exhibited nationally and internationally in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. It is held in private collections and in public collections including the International Quilt Museum and Study Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, Park Towne Place Art Collection, and the Fox School of Business at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

I started my career in urban planning and community development and co-founded Equal Measure, (formerly The OMG Center) a national, social research group. Today, in addition to being a studio artist, I am an avid promoter of contemporary textiles in the art world. I was instrumental in the production of two widely acclaimed textile exhibits, the Color Improvisations 2 in North America and Material Pulses: Seven Viewpoints. More than 10,000 people have attended these two exhibitions. I am currently collaborating with a team of leading, national textile organizations in the 2023 Textile Print Exhibition.

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Education from Carnegie Mellon University. I earned a Master’s degree in Psychology from Temple University and hold a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.  

A lifelong urbanite, I grew up in Yonkers, NY among a large, extended family comprised of many  who worked in the NYC textile industry.  I currently live and work in the Italian Market neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Note: click on artwork images several times to view details.

Machine quilting designated by me; machine quilting largely done by Marina Baudoin, and a few by Julia Graziano
Photography: Gerri Spilka and Andrew Pinkham