Buildings are man-made structures, and they are all over the planet; they are a clear indication of our presence here. They provide shelter to people, to keep us warm and dry. But housing is a serious problem in England, and I’m sure in all parts of the world. It is enormously expensive and a lot of people cannot afford to buy one, and rents are sky high. That certainly happens in London. Most young people in the UK cannot any longer afford to buy even a small house on their

There have been several forests and natural disasters in 2017. I am sending my prayers for the damaged plants and environment by creating an imaginary secondary forest. Nature has the ability to regenerate on its own after suffering from wildfire, insect plague, and even deforestation. The re-grown and self-healing power of nature is remarkable. Creating the work is challenging to me because I try to combine the damaged woods, the tree trunks that have been burned into ashes,

A wise friend once told me that if you look for evil you can find it everywhere, but if you look for good, you can find IT everywhere. What you see, depends on what you’re looking for. I had to consider that for a while before I realized I agreed. In discordant times like these, I must remind myself that what I experience is based on what I believe. As humans, we naturally filter out things that don’t agree with our belief system. Consequently, we perceive and reinforce our f

Kate's Structure challenge arrived on the heels of numerous assaults to the American people - from the dismantling of government protections for minorities, the vulnerable and the poor, to the devastation left in the paths of storms in Puerto Rico, Texas, and beyond and catastrophic fires in nearby northern California and elsewhere, to just one more mass shooting - this time killing 59 in Las Vegas. The infrastructure crumbles, the houses and businesses are destroyed, and ou

Kate posed this challenge just one week after I had major surgery to replace my right hip. In fact, I had 'graduated' to a rehabilitation facility that day. I was TOTALLY sorry for myself, having lost my independence of movement . I could not walk, turn over, bend over, dress myself...and too many other, taken for granted, motions. I had prepared for none of this AND there was the pain. Fast forward a couple days and I could hobble into the dining room for communal meals

The beloved Scottish Poet Robbie Burns' 1786 poem, To A Mouse, was written as an apology after he tore through a mouse nest while ploughing. But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft a-gley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promised joy. ... Part of the third line, of course, was borrowed by John Steinbeck for his great novel about Things That Went Awry. This piece in response to the ch

The human skeleton provides rigid protection for internal organs, but it is structured in such a way that allows for an amazing variety of graceful movements. Our posture can convey all sorts of information about our health, energy level and emotional state. I showed this quilt to my mom, wondering if she would find it scary or grim. I asked her for her first impression and she surprised me by seeing the joy in it. She loved the carefree pose, as if the skeleton was prancin

Cabbage Patch ©2017 91.5cm long x 47cm wide (36in x 18.5 in) The secret structure of many vegetables and fruits are only revealed when they are cut. Complex, interwoven and other worldly are all descriptions that can be applied to the inner structures of the humble cabbage. Materials: cotton, batting, thread, fabric paint, stencil Techniques: hand printed, stencilled, hand painted, machine quilted

When I saw her challenge, the first word that came up was layer. As a single layer of layers forms structures Everyday's daily life accumulates and becomes one's life The layer is a trace of time. The days of various colors, such as joyful days, sad days and hard days, will make various colored structure called life. I wonder what color of layer is my present day.