Artist Statement: Gatherings is a new series of quilts inspired by fallen and windblown pine needles. A year ago I photographed a puddle filled with the long golden brown needles of white pines and reflected sky colors. I was inspired. My surroundings are the seeds of my art and in this case the texture and color of landscape. Thick blankets of fallen 'needle-woven fabric' under trees and small windblown 'gatherings' along manmade edges remind me of protection and nurturing – a preparation for new life. Quilts as comforters seem the natural media for this expression.