I am mostly self-taught in pine needle basketry. I find it interesting and rewarding to make something beautiful and often functional, from nature's castoffs. By mostly using the forest floor as my palette, I reimagine and recompose what was decomposing. I use an ages-old coiling technique with longleaf pine needles and grasses to create baskets, vessels, and sculptures. The act of coiling a vessel can be confining, in that it builds upon a repetitive pattern of circles. The challenge that I enjoy is using the techniques and materials at hand such as color, stitching, and shaping to guide the movement of the coil in unexplored directions. Some items are created for a particular purpose. Others are made with no purpose in mind, limited only by my imagination. 

There is much involved prior to even beginning a piece. Needles are harvested, triaged, washed, and dried. They then can be dyed, fumed, painted, glycerined, or left natural. Once made, the piece can be left as is, or a protective coating of urethane or beeswax can be applied. I find beauty and inspiration in nature's discards – all visible in the striations of the wood, cones, needles, and meandering vines. Often what I create has a mind of its own, and what I envisioned at the start will turn out differently in the end. My art is a reminder that life's journey doesn't always follow the intended path, and can often lead to something even better. By creating and teaching this art form, I hope others will be inspired to keep it alive so it can continue to be created, appreciated, and enjoyed.