Dorothy’s main focus as a fibre artist has been one of a kind, handwoven fashion. She began her studies with private lessons while living in California followed by further classes at the Edinburgh School of Art. Weaving and spinning workshops sponsored by the Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners further developed her skills. In recent years classes at St. Lawrence College and Haliburton School of the Arts in drawing and painting as well as spinning, dyeing, textile printing and fashion design have broadened her outlook and skills. A visit to Kyoto and the Nishijin Weavers was pivotal in developing her approach to colour, fine threads and design. She has taught various workshops in colour theory for weavers and knitwear designers. In 2000 Dorothy was a contributing artist to the Textile Museum of Canada’s exhibit “Casting Off”.At the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Conference held in Kingston in spring 2005 her coat entitled “Stepping Stones Interlocked to Touchstones” won the Edna Blackburn award for innovation and the Yarns Plus award for excellence in weaving. That piece was included in the organization’s juried show at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston. Further explorations of fibre as a medium has led her to art dolls or “figurative illustrations” as expressions of various aspect of the human experience. A group of these figures were exhibited at the Chameleon Nation Gallery in August 2008. These pieces have also been award winners at the Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners annual March Challenge event including receiving the Best in Show award, 2013. Dorothy lives in Kingston with her husband, three black cats, four looms, two spinning wheels, a dye workshop and a crammed jammed studio.
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