Accidental beauty, utilitarian collage, tatters telling complex stories, the humble cloth of the Japanese people. These are ways Boro textiles (literally ‘rags’) have been described. Magnetically drawn to indigo dyed cloth and motivated by a commitment to use antiquated materials, I have become very attached to and inspired by these fabrics. Who knew that Boro would become the sensation that it is today? Actually, my friend, Linda Mitchell, told me when I showed her my first pieces in 2011: ‘Indigo is going to be big, you’ll see.’ A prophetess.

Now, I’ve introduced my other fascination, rust, to these assemblages. Improvisation, imperfection, deconstruction/slow construction, memory, preservation of historical objects while making something new are concepts I’ve been exploring for a long time, but never as satisfyingly as I do at this moment.