I grew up near Paris, France and was trained in ceramic and design at the  August Renoir school of arts and techniques  in Paris . In 1976 I became a resident in the Western U.S.

 

While living in the Northwest I  picked  up new ways of expression with basket making and knitting, they were  practical necessities  at the time. By then I dreamed about  learning a traditional  form of weaving.  In 1986 I travelled to Nepal.  In the Katmandu valley  I met a Tibetan master weaver that taught me the art of knotted pile rug weaving.

Back in Oregon, I gathered my tools and my husband David crafted a  standing  loom  that could  support the pressure  of beating the wool pile over a tight cotton or linen warp,  required in  rug making.  Later I learned to spin and dye my own  yarns with wool fiber. Wool absorbs natural dyes very well  and creates  subtle  colors.
In 1998 I receiced an award of excellence for artistic achievement and presentation at the Southwest Arts Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The mask making emerged from cultural influences including  the  French mardi-gras  masquerades,  and the Tibetan ceremonial dancing performed with terrific masks and costumes, combined with  earlier  experience with  three dimentional clay work.