As an artist and an environmentalist I prefer to use eco-friendly materials. These may be placed into two general categories:

–Natural materials: Bones and moss, sticks and shells, stones and feathers–all these and more feature prominently in my assemblage work. Some of these are found by me or people I source my materials from. Others are byproducts of food, gardening, home decor and other industries.

–Secondhand/reclaimed materials: I am an avid thrift shopper, and a large portion of my art supplies were obtained from Goodwill and other secondhand shops in Portland and elsewhere. Over the years I’ve accumulated quite an eclectic selection of “things to make things with”; along with natural materials like leather from old coats and pine cones salvaged from Christmas decorations I may also bring home tiny toy animals, picture frames, broken jewelry and other treasures. I also recycle certain materials; I make textured paper from old junk mail and toilet paper tubes, as one example.

Many of the items I incorporate into my artwork, to include the assemblage pieces for the Tarot of Bones, fit in both of these categories.  My goal is to save these from the waste stream and give them a fresh start as part of a meaningful, beautiful piece of art. And as with all of my artwork and other creations, a portion of the revenue made from the Tarot of Bones® will be donated to nonprofit organizations that help protect wildlife and their habitats.