Creativity Center
Heart of Italy Tour
Currently she runs Calascio Designs and creates art to wear. Her hand-dyed art wear features a contemporary twist on traditional Japanese shibori dyeing techniques. She uses found objects and clamps them over cloth for a bold variation of itajime (clamp resist) shibori. She overlays colors on natural fibers creating rich surfaces. In addition, she builds earthy sculptural forms using natural materials and creates intuitive and meditative mixed media drawings. She has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Tyler School of Art, and several public and private schools. She currently teaches part-time for the Eau Claire Area School District and teaches art at the Summer Institute of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Continuing Education Department. In addition to leading numerous visual arts workshops nationally, she has lectured in the United States and England. Her students have received awards and cherished her warm teaching style.
After leaving the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to spend time with her young son, she returned to school and earned an M.S.in Mental Health Counseling. She has worked with groups, couples, and individuals. She has treated clients with depression, codependeny issues, divorce issues, and eating disorders, in addition to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. She has special interests in women's issues and the issues of gay and lesbian clients. Since she entered the mental health field hoping to meet the needs of creative people, she worked through the ideas of Julia Cameron with a learning community. Later, she discovered the work of Eric Maisel, PhD. and was struck by the rich mixture of creativity research, theory, and practicality. This new field seemed like home and she earned a certificate in creativity coaching. Currently, she helps artists and writers from Sweden to Los Angeles to Eau Claire, Wisconsin lead more productive creative lives and overcome blocks.
