Fall has arrived, bringing with it the busyness of preparing for the Shaw Art Fair and our annual Open Studio Tour in Dec. For me, it is a wonderful time of connecting with people, sharing my creations, and seeing familiar faces as well as meeting new ones.

I have spent much of this year creating new art and reworking a few older pieces that have lingered in my studio. After such a busy and successful 2025, I needed to slow down this year and give myself time to create a new body of work. I also spent time reevaluating some of the pieces I still had on hand.

I have discovered that sometimes a piece isn’t truly finished, even after you frame it. And yes, that means taking it out of the frame and going back to work! Revisiting my work is not something new for me; from time to time, I have returned to a piece when I felt it needed something more. It is an ongoing part of my creative process, sometimes it simply takes time and fresh eyes to see what a piece is asking for. I am grateful that this year gave me the opportunity to revisit several of these works and give them what they needed.

In my new work, I have been exploring how to let the art become freer, more expressive, and less contrived. I am learning to loosen up, experiment, and play more with layers of fibers. There is a part of me that likes things neat and organized, but I am learning to let my wild side come out and express itself. Don’t be too concerned, I can’t seem to get too wild. It is still in my nature to create beautiful, orderly gardens in my art, even though I can’t seem to manage that in my real gardens at home!

After completing the body of work I will be showcasing at the Shaw Art Fair in St. Louis, I realized something interesting: a theme had quietly emerged. Paths appear in several of my pieces, including The Path Beckons, pictured here.

Perhaps that shouldn’t surprise me. As I approach my twentieth year of creating art next year, I have found myself contemplating growth, direction, and the paths we choose along the way. Looking back, my own creative path has taken turns I never could have anticipated when I first began. And as I look ahead, I find myself wondering where the path will lead next.