My inspiration comes from many sources: from the play of light, shadow and color in nature, from art: music, stories, films; from experience: friendship, family, and motherhood. My favorite tool is the dye itself; I'm amazed by the intricate patterns and subtle color combinations that can result from a humble dye bath, or the interlacing of sheer layers of dye printing.

Lately, I am incorporating more and more hand-stitched embroidery into the cloth, as I work on a series inspired by the lost roadside landscape of the American West.

Although I've always drawn, painted and played around with color and design, I started experimenting with textiles more intently in 1994.

In 1999, I began a serious study of art cloth, in the Surface Design program at the Southwest School of Art and Craft in San Antonio, under the mentorship of renowned artist Jane Dunnewold.

Since 2004, I've been privileged to teach surface design, silkscreening and other classes to students at the Austin Museum of Art School and Dougherty Art Center in Austin, Texas. Discovering and studying textile art has changed my life for the better, so helping others find their way -- even (especially) when they think they "aren't creative" -- is deeply gratifying.

My textile work has been exhibited in a number of venues, including the Houston International Quilt Show, the Minnesota State Quilt Forum, Rockport Center for the Arts, and Textures Gallery in San Antonio.

In addition to artwork and teaching, I am the managing editor of Pop Culture Press magazine, which my husband and I publish twice a year.

I'm a native Texan, with degrees in American Studies and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. I live with my husband, Luke Torn, our son, Carter, dog Georgia Hubley, and cats Charlotte and Catapotamus.