ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Not too many months ago, packing up my work in preparation for the move from northern Wisconsin to North Carolina, I was put in the position of looking at each and every work remaining in my possession. Some by necessity were discarded, many made the journey here with me. Some have been unwrapped for this exhibition at Textures.

I tend to put what is large in my life into the imagery of my art. For a long time my focus was upon animals, cats in particular, because I love them and because they were an interesting bridge between the domesticity of the human world and the wildness of nature. I was disturbed by our dissociation from and destruction of the natural world and hoped my animal drawings and sculptures would help us humans remember our connections to that beautiful, ferocious and tender world.

One of the lessons animals teach us is to simplify Also to be fully engaged in the present. And to literally be comfortable in one’s skin rather than to regard the body as something to deny. Over time, I realized these lessons were also present in the yoga philosophy I was beginning to explore.

My work now strives to recognize our uniquely human patterns of struggle, habit, desire and denial. And to use that recognition as a first step in our search for a clearer, less fragmented and isolated self As I set up my Carolina workspace, I am excited to see what happens when the history of my work and a changed environment meet.

GENERAL BIOGRAPHY

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania and attended college in the Midwest and Italy, the latter of which will work its magic on me all my days. I married Dean Lettenstrom and received my MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These were both good choices,

Professionally speaking, I taught at the University of Minnesota-Duluth for ten years and have had exhibitions on the local, national and international levels, in some instances earning awards and grants.

Along with making art, the privilege of having animal friends has been a huge boon to my spirit. My human friends, reading and gardening are also very important to me. I seem to be happiest and most at home in the hill country—Pennsylvania, Italy and now after a long while, North Carolina.