It all started when…
I grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I was introduced at an early age to art by my paternal grandmother. She was an artist and weaver and I would often sit on her loom bench while she weaved continuous lengths of cloth. Both of my parents were a creative force in my development as an artist and were influential and supportive of that pursuit throughout my career as an artist.
I studied design and illustration and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at East Carolina University. Upon graduation, I moved to Boulder Colorado. I began taking weaving and fiber arts classes while working at the University of Colorado. In the year 2000, I moved back east and made Asheville, North Carolina my home.
I purchased a property outside of Asheville, where I raised Angora goats and Cotswold sheep for wool to incorporate in my fiber works. I began taking classes in traditional Japanese fiber dyeing and resist techniques.
I began to incorporate my background and knowledge in design and illustration, my love of textile and pattern and appreciation of wood and its versatility. My current work explores the combination of oil, hand-mixed stains and glazes on wood. I get inspiration from patterns in textiles and nature.
I currently live and have my studio in Asheville, North Carolina.
I am a member of The Piedmont Craftsmen’s Guild and my work is on display at The Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, NC, Gallery of the Mountains in the Grove Park Inn, Asheville NC and The Piedmont Craftsmen’s Gallery in Winston-Salem, NC. My work can also be found on ArtfulHome.com and my website www.kdills.com.