“The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.”


Frank Lloyd Wright quotes (American Architect and Writer, the most abundantly creative genius of American architecture. His Prairie style became the basis of 20th century residential design in the United States, 1867-1959)

The best part of my education as a Fiber Design undergraduate was being awarded a Summer Research Fellowship Grant 2005 from Buffalo State College. The grant supplied me with money for chemicals, dyes and equipment for my research. The contract was to work for eight weeks. Since the college studio was not air conditioned I set up a studio in my garage allowing me to spend the entire summer researching Fiber Reactive MX dyes, removing color with Thiox and the Devore technique.

Learning how to mix the dyes to obtain an exact hue, as well as, having the dye colorfast is important for my wearable art. My research was compiled into information books after making many samples documenting how the hues present in cotton muslin bleached and unbleached, mercerized cotton, velvet composite of silk/rayon, silk charmeuse and china silk.

During a 30 minute presentation I delivered my research, displayed samples and some finished products to members of the college Summer Research Grant committee. They were impressed that my grant was the gift that keeps on giving. In addition to presenting my research to the other students, I taught my first class in the Fiber program.

Writing the lesson plan and instruction sheet for Devore, how to work with velvet burnout chemicals, was great preparation for my position as an Adjunct Instructor. Teaching in the Fiber program for two years until I left for graduate school was my way of paying back all that I have learned. I am proud to say that students in the program today are still benefiting from my research in the summer of 2005. Aware of how much personal interest I have in their education and success many of my fellow students, as well as, the students taught I in my classes still keep in touch with me. As I often remind myself, "You never really leave a place you love, part of yourself you leave behind, part of it you take with you."

Color, texture, pattern and the luxurious feel of velvet make the Devore Velvet Burnout my one of my favorite techniques. Each piece is unique worked with until I get the Nouveau Antique look of something taken out of an old bureau even though it is a new creation. I see my Nouveau Antique Devore as wearable art providing a finishing touch to either a causal jeans look or little black dress for evening out on the town.

My Silk/ Rayon Velvet Devore is available at both the Burchfield Penny Art Museum Store in Buffalo NY and the Shop SCAD in Savannah, Ga.