Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
– Rumi
STATEMENT One defining feature, of my person and my work, is that I grew up as an “army brat,” ricocheting around the world. Almost every year we would move and leave behind our house, our neighborhood, my school, our town – my friends and schoolmates — they were almost never seen again and forever out of my reach (as this was long before social media!), and became part of my personal mythology.
And so, I collected talismans — a leaf, a pebble, a ticket — tokens of a place in time. I’m still a collector, now of ancient, antique, and vintage beads; paper ephemera; gemstones, and more. Linking past and present, these bits and bobs end up in new relationships with contemporary materials in my jewelry and collage works.
I like to think that these objects have a soul of their own, and an energy that reflects the places they come from, the people they belonged to, and the intentions and intelligence that contributed to their creation. I hope my small works honor them.
TEXTILE ART I make representational images in a desire to achieve intimacy with beautiful and elusive creatures or objects. In the slow process of embroidery I immerse myself and own them for a time. The subject matter occurs in series — hummingbirds, hollywood kisses, old family images, crystals — and are representative of the unpossessable ephemeral.
BIO
— BFA Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. Major in Drawing and Painting, Minor in Literature
— Glassell School of Art, Houston Texas. 1983 to present, classes in metalsmithing, collage, paper making, enameling.
— Worked as a Graphic Designer, Illustrator, and Art Director in Houston and Dallas for 30 years.
— Studio Jewelry - as Carolyn Rose Design 1985 - 1990,
as Karmabird 2010 to present
— Textile Art - 2017 to present
— Collage Art - 1980 - present