HISTORY/BIO

I have been drawing pictures ever since I could hold a crayon. During my college years in the 1970's, pen and ink seemed to be my natural medium. My love of foreign languages took me to Europe a few times, and I enjoying rendering favorite sites in pen and ink.

I discovered the art of hand painted clothing in 1989, when I moved to St.John , USVI, and immediately got a job as a contract artist for a boutique specializing in hand painted clothing. Something about painting it and wearing it appealed to me, and I've been painting clothing ever since. I established a studio/shop of my own in St.John in 1996, which I kept for 8 years.

After returning to my native Winston-Salem NC in late 2004, I shared some studio space for several years, but had only limited space for painting clothing. From 2010-2014 I had a shop called "Willy Nilly" on Trade Street in the Downtown Arts District. It was great painting in my larger space, but alas, drop-in traffic is not yet what we want it to be along Trade St. So I closed the shop and established Willy Nilly Studio, sharing space in a wonderful gallery and studio with other artists within the Arts District. I am so very happy that my Etsy sales have increased to the point that they have overtaken studio sales. A ZILLION THANK YOUS TO YOU, MY CUSTOMERS, FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND FEEDBACK!! You are making a BIG difference in the life of this artist.

In December 2019, I dissolved the studio and moved my creative production to Mixxer Community MakerSpace in a downtown neighborhood called
"Industry Hill," where former warehouses and factory buildings are being renovated into business, entertainment, and residential entities. I'm really pleased to be associated with this amazing organization. Mixxer offers woodworking, metalworking, welding, digital lab with 3D printers and laser cutter, sewing machines and much more, often partnering with other community non-profit organizations in worthwhile creative projects. I am looking forward to new creative opportunity and direction at Mixxer.

THE PROCESS

I individually hand paint each garment or accessory item free-hand, without patterns or stencils which have a tendency to stifle my creativity. I love the spontaneity of working free-hand, happy accidents and all, often making up designs as I go. Design motifs seem to acquire a life of their own as I paint.

I begin many of my designs by drawing with a tube of acrylic paint with a plastic tip screwed on instead of its regular cap. After the lines are dry, I use flat-edge brushes to apply acrylic colors, blending color directly on the garment surface. This means working fairly quickly, before the paint colors have dried. I thin the acrylic paints with a combination of water and medium, which helps the paint work into the fabric and control bleeding while maintaining color brilliance. The mixture of paint and medium varies according to the type of fabric I'm working on and according to the desired effect.

When creating a design on a piece of clothing, I tend to use the entire garment as a canvas, keeping in mind that the item will not be hanging on a flat wall but will be worn by a person. Design elements need to be placed so as to flatter the wearer. I try to blend colors in such a way that the garment may coordinate with other items in a person's wardrobe.

My finished items are all washable according to the garment manufacturer's instructions. Most of the things I paint are machine washable and machine dryable. Hand washing is usually better for hats and visors. The paints I use do not require heat setting, and they will not run or fade onto other items in the wash. White garments may be bleached without affecting the painted design.

Buying a unique, one-of-a-kind wearable item is an investment for some, and I want people to enjoy wearing my designs for years and years. I have been painting wearables for over 25 years, and I have items whose paintings have held up for 20 years, through repeated wearing, washing, drying, and wearing again. And again. Lather, rinse, repeat....Wear, turn heads, and have fun.