I am awed by flawless craftsmanship. I look for and expect it in craft. Yet I find that too much allegiance to perfection yields lifelessness. My eye is always searching for signs of struggle when I evaluate fine craft. It is an indication that the craftsperson is not in command of some fundamental aspect of what it is they are trying to accomplish. The path of the artist is to dig ever deeper, and when this is done truly, signs of struggle become harder and harder to spot. What begins as struggle and sloppiness, evolves into process, and can become the voice, and source of beauty and personal expression in that artist's work.

I am constantly surfing the aesthetic boundary between craftsmanship that is absolutely clean and true, and yet holds life and character by being consistently inconsistent- perfectly imperfect.

This ottoman was designed and built by a friend, for his sweetheart, as a surprise gift. The piece is constructed from red oak salvaged from pallets. He requested my artistic license in upholstering the cushion. I enjoyed the chance to play around. I've been quilting in monochrome in my creative upholstery for some time now, enjoying the repetitive lines, patterns, and texture that it creates. I took this process a step farther this time, continuing to draw from traditional quilting themes, by topstitching the pieced fabric. I really like the added dimension and life that was brought into play. The top stitched arcs were all done free-hand.....consistently inconsistent.