Wood and Fabric Paintings

I began painting on wood and fabrics as a teenager. It is an area of art that I have been flowing in and out of over the decades. At 17, I painted these pink flowers on my sewing box. In Paris I was painting Pierrots, Harlequins & Orchids on Silk. While living in Tahiti, I painted Hibiscus, Tiaré, Lotus and Bird of Paradise Flowers on kimonos and evening bags. In 1986, after moving to Connecticut, one afternoon I was floating around an antique market as I am always on the lookout for scraps of antique lace, buttons or bark cloth from the 1930's. By chance I met an antique dealer whose other business was selling wood sculptures of Canada Geese, Swans, Loons and a variety of other ducks to an International Market. These ducks were hand and machine carved in Canada. When he learned I was an artist, he asked me if I would paint the birds. Being a Fashion Designer and Whimsical Artist, I had never imagined that I would be painting ducks and geese in a primitive style! Deliveries were made to my home, usually 100 or more at a time. Over the course of 12 years, I painted in the neighborhood of 1,500 birds!
I came to love painting these birds. Their eyes would stare back at me as I painted and with a little stroke of my paintbrush, I could change their expression. I would paint my ducks to the wee hours as my children slept. It was where I found Peace and Solace.