Fabric is my Art.
I am an artist who uses fabric and thread as my medium instead of paper and paint....and a sewing machine instead of a brush.
The texture, color and prints of fabrics fascinate me and often give me inspiration for a new design. I very seldom draw out a quilt plan, but let the fabrics and textures determine my next step. While I work towards an idea I try to avoid any definite image of the completed piece, because the complex nature of fabric often reveals surprises that dictate unexpected changes of direction.
Most of my designs are organic. They are influenced by my love of nature and all its wonders.
I like to work with color and movement in my pieces. The bright colors I use express my positive outlook on life.
The texture of the fabrics is an important design element to me and in my work I use many different surface design techniques such as fabric dyeing, painting, printing, pleating and machine quilting and embroidery.
My desire has always been to create unique pieces and have lots of fun during the process.
I grew up in the Netherlands. After living in Florida, Hawaii, South Carolina and Australia I now make my home in Northern California. My inspiration comes from all the natural wonders I encountered in these places, both on land and under water.
Selected Exhibits
2022
Solo Show at the Pence Gallery, Davis, CA, Oct.
“Gems of the Ocean III” Art Quilt Show in Yachats, OR, Feb. 19-21
“Blossomed”, Kennedy Gallery, Sacramento, CA , April 7 - May 8
2021
Kennedy Gallery, Sacramento, CA; Spring Flowers, April 1-30 and Twenty by Twenty Show, May 1-July 1
Carnegie Center of the Arts, Turlock, CA, May 1- July 30
2020
Solo Show at the Artery, Davis, CA
2018
Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock, CA
The Artery, Davis, CA
2017
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Minneapolis, MN; Nov 9-11
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Fredericksburg, VA; Oct. 5-7
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Schaumburg, IL; Sept 28-30
Solo show "California Fiberscapes" at the Clayground in Winters, CA, September 1-30, 2017,
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Arlington, TX; Aug 24-26
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Raleigh, NC; July 20-22
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Cleveland, OH; March 30-April 1
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Lakeland, FL; March 16-18
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Atlanta, GA; March 9-11
The Artery, Davis, CA; June 2-26
Road to California, Ontario, CA; Jan. 19-22
2016
The Artery, Davis, CA
Creativa, Brussels, Belgium; March 10-13
Quilt Expo Beaujolais, Villefrance sur Saone, France; April 13-16
The Gallery at 48 Natoma, Folsom, CA (solo show)
2015
European Quilt Championships, Maastricht, the Netherlands
Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
Davis Community Clinic Gallery, Davis, CA
2014
Quilt Fest Savannah, Savannah, GA (solo show)
Saaski Gallery, Monroe, WA
Front Porch Gallery, Carlsbad, CA
2013
"By Hand - Extraordinary Craft in California", Feb. 8 - April, 5, 2013, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
"New Visions, New Directions", April 1 -22, 2013, Studio 74, Fresno, CA
"The Butterfly Effect", June 3 - July 22, 2013, Hilltop Art Gallery, Ashland, OR
"2013 Art Auction at the Pence Gallery Exhibit", Aug. 29 - Sept. 20, 2013, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
"2013 Stonegate Art Fest", Sept. 27, 2013, Stonegate Country Club, Davis, CA
"Art Farm 2013"- a juried exhibition inspired by the farmlands of Yolo county, Oct. 4 - Nov. 1, 20113, Woodland, CA
"Remnants", Nov. 6 - Dec. 18, 2013, Harrington Gallery, Pleasanton, CA
2012
"Fiber Adventures", International House Davis, CA, March 9 - April 10, 2012
"A Sense of Place", Avenue 9 Gallery, Chico, CA, May 25 - June 30, 2012
"Life Lines", Front Porch Gallery, Carlsbad, CA, July 22 - Sept 9, 2012
"Contemporary Fiber Works", Grand Theatre Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA, Sept 8 - Oct 27, 2012
"5th Annual High Fiber Exhibit", San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, CA, Oct 20 - Nov 4, 2012
"The Colorful World of a Biologist turned Art Quilter", World Quilt Show, West Palm Beach, FL, Nov 8-10, 2012
2011
“Text and Texture”, Gallery @ 48 Natoma, Folsom, CA, Jan. 21 – March 10, 2011
“Spring Fling”, Lamoreux Gallery, Winters, CA, March 5 – April 30, 2011
“Fiber Optics”, Bakersfield Museum of Art, Bakersfield, CA, March 24 – May 31, 2011
“Fiber Enriched”, Eureka Museum of Art, Eureka, CA, June 21 – Aug. 31, 2011
“California Currents”, East Bay MUD, Oakland, CA, Oct. 14 –Nov. 9, 2011
2010
Featured Artist at the Collaborative Gallery of Sacramento, CA, May 8- June 10, 2010
“California Fiberscapes”, Solo Show at the Davis Community Gallery, Davis, CA, June 11, 2010 – Sept. 24, 2010
“California Fiber Artists”, Chico Art Center, Chico, CA, July 31 – Aug. 22, 2010
“Fiber Art TO GO”, Gallery 625, Woodland, CA, Dec. 3, 2010 – Jan. 23, 2011
2009
"Fiber", Pence Gallery, Davis, CA, Nov. 24, 2009 - Jan. 17, 2010, see Gallery Link
"Fiberscapes", Deborah Lamoreux Gallery, Winters, CA, Nov. 7 - Dec. 31, 2009
"Fall into Fabrics", San Francisco Design Center, San Francisco, CA, Oct. 12 - Nov. 13, 2009, Design Center Link
"High Fiber under Five", San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, Nov. 3 - 8, 2009, see Museum Link
"California Fiber Artists: Layer upon Layer", Arts Visalia Gallery, Visalia, CA, Oct. 7 - 31, 2009
“Fire and Fiber”, Gallery 625, Woodland, CA, March 30-April 29, 2009
“Australasian Quilt Convention”, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 26-March 1, 2009
Exhibit at Mojo Flow Studio, Davis, CA, July 10 (openings reception) - August 10, 2009 - Studio Link
2008
“Are You Getting Enough Fiber?”, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, CA, November 7, 2008
“Hot Fiber” New Work by the California Fiber Artists, Davis, CA, June 13-July 8, 2008
2007
“Over the Edge” California Fiber Artists show at the International Quilt Festival, Santa Clara, CA, Oct. 11-14, 2007
"Deconstruction/Reconstruction" Art from Recycled Materials, Artisans International, Minden, NV, August 4 - Sept. 7, 2007
Fiber to Quilt" Take Gallery, Lappeenrante, Finland, June 1-30, 2007
"New Work", Translation Gallery, Denver, CO, Jan. 5 - Feb. 24, 2007
The Arts Building Gallery, Auburn, CA, Feb. 21- April 4, 2007
2006
"California Landscapes", Greenville Arms Inn, Greenville, NY, Oct. 14- Dec. 10, 2006
"Fiber Extraordinaire" Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys, CA; May 21- July 21, 2006
"The Naked Truth: Fiber Transformations" Coastal Arts League Gallery, Half Moon Bay, CA; June 8- July 2, 2006
"Rhythm & Blues" Gallery One, Petaluma, CA; July 24 - Sept. 3, 2006
Art Museum of Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA, Jan. 12-Feb. 26, 2006
"Aquatic Explorations", Special exhibit at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, VA, Feb. 23-26, 2006
The Artery Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 7-26, 2006
"Sew Beautiful" (solo show) Briggs Gallery, Winters, CA, March 4-31, 2006
2005
"Fabric Art: On and Off the Wall", textiles by Marjan Kluepfel and Connie Taxiera, The Artery, Davis, CA, Sept. 30 - Oct. 25, 2005
“In the Abstract“, CA Fiber Artists invitational show, Pacific International Quilt Festival, Santa Clara, C, Oct 13-16, 2005
“Tranquility, Harmony, Renewal & Peace“, the Arts Building Gallery, Auburn, CA, Aug. 9 - Oct. 6, 2005
“Piece“, Fiber works, the Alameda Art Center, Alameda, CA, Sept. 2 - 29, 2005
Teaching and Professional Organizations
SELECTED TEACHING VENUES
Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne, Australia, 2009
Quilters’ Guilds in Dunedin and Auckland, New Zealand, 2009
Greater Chicago Quilt Exposition, 2006, 2007
International Quilt Festival in Houston, 2006, 2007
World Quilt and Textile in Manchester, NH, 2006, 2007
Denver National Quilt Festival, 2006, 2007
Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, Virginia, 2006, 2007
New Jersey Quilt Fest, 2007
Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, 2005, 2006
Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, CA, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009