About

After my birth in Indonesia I spent my early childhood there before moving to the Netherlands. After having lived there for about 12 years, I started moving abroad again and lived in several countries all over the world – Belgium, the USA, Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand. This culturally diverse life, including travel to countless other countries has shaped my interest for textile and fiber art, the basis of which, however, was created by the expert sewing and handicraft skills of my mother.

Functional art always intrigued me and over the years my interest to make my own contribution became stronger. Coupled with my love for sewing, textiles and yarns, this led to creating unique table mats while living in Hong Kong and Japan. Work includes originally designed placemats to be used in table settings, as well as artistically created table mats and runners to be used as decorative pieces.

In Thailand I changed my focus and began creating eclectic shawls. These are individual, unusual pieces to complement dresses and ensembles, using a myriad of fabrics, yarns, threads and colors.

Most recently, my inspirations are expressed by using natural fibrous rope, lots of yarn and possibly other items. Color combinations together with texture and form become fun fiber art creations - a form of soft sculpture.

Work has been displayed at several art events in Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand as well as featured in magazines and local newspapers. I am certainly proud of the fact that many of my creations are now spread all over the globe.

My other passion is dogs and specifically stray and unwanted ones. Shortly after moving to Japan, I discovered a real need for people there to learn more about their dogs in order to better understand these animals’ behavior; therefore I started conducting my “Dog Talk” seminars in which explained why dogs are the way they are and do the things they do. These sessions became very popular resulting in an appearance on Japanese TV as well.

After moving to Thailand however, I quickly recognized the urgent need in this country to help reduce the large numbers of street and stray dogs and intensified my work by focusing on getting street and stray dogs sterilized including cats. After 3 years of dog work in Bangkok, I moved to the resort island Phuket. During the following years in Phuket, especially after going through the devastating tsunami in S.E. Asia, I took a hiatus from my textile work in order to concentrate on helping improve the suffering conditions of the so many stray and unwanted dogs and cats. I established “Soi Dog Foundation”, the first officially recognized foundation in Thailand to benefit dogs and cats created by a foreigner.

While the organization continues to be very effective, I moved back to Bangkok in 2007 where I continue to facilitate sterilization programs for unwanted animals and have resumed my creative endeavors the proceeds of which always to towards supporting sterilization programs for unwanted dogs and cats.