For as long as I can remember, I have had the need to make things. Early on, my fascination with the colorful jars of paints, pencils of all sorts, rulers with different edges and lengths, tablets of many paper choices, etc. threw my mind into a tail spin. I loved the thought of being able to create an idea to hold in my hand and share with someone. Whether the idea was transformed into a drawing, a twig sculpture, a colored paper cut out or a finger painting, the idea would have form.  I suppose, I have always been an illustrator.

I attended the Corcoran School of Art in Washington D.C. for one year of my college education and being from a small town in Kentucky , the contrast of this big city was exhilarating and intimidating at the same time. In a year, I was able to experience a lot of art museums and other cultural events which helped me grow as an artist. I left the Corcoran for The Art Academy of Cincinnati, because at the time, the Academy offered classes which better fit my goals. There, I pursued illustration as a focus but added painting and printmaking courses which helped me strengthen my sense of color and communication skills. I graduated with a minor in illustration and a major in painting and printmaking.

After college, I worked in galleries and freelanced as an illustrator for a short while but I was frustrated because I hadn't found my "voice" with my own work. During this time, I happened to discover the ancient form of feltmaking and was inspired to explore more about this versatile fabric. My mind opened up to the possibilities of drawing and painting with fiber materials as the felt fabric became a canvas and the hand embroidery a drawing tool. After twenty years of working with felted wool and embroidery, I still feel that I am illustrating with new materials.


Fibers and Tools


Sketchbook



EDUCATION

Corcoran School of Art, Washington D.C.   1974
Art Academy of Cincinnati ,  Cincinnati , Ohio   1975-1979  (major in fine arts, minor in illustration)

SELECTED INVITATIONAL GALLERY OR MUSEUM SHOWS

Member Artist's Exhibition,  Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Kentucky  2009
Birds + Dwellings,  Museum store of the San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design  2008
Fiber Artists Collective Group Exhibit,  American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science,
Washington, D.C.  2007
A Bird in Hand,  group exhibit,  Red Star Studios, Kansas City, Missouri   2007
Menagerie, Artists Look at Animals,  Museum of Folk Art and Design, San Francisco, CA  2006
Good Bird/Bad Bird,  Contemporary Crafts Museum,  Portland, Oregon  2005
Small Wonders:  Beth Nobles, Renee Harris, Amy Clarke-Moore,  Iowa Artisans Gallery,
Iowa City, Iowa  2005
Things Your Mama Said,  Society of Arts and Crafts Gallery, Boston, Mass.   2005
Magnificent Extravagance: Artists and Opulence,  Wustum Museum of Art, Racine, WI.   2005
Nature Cherished,  Artspace at The John Koehler Arts Center, Koehler, WI.,  2005
For the Love of Flowers,  Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Kentucky  2005  
Domesticated Animals,  Society of Arts and Crafts Gallery, Boston, Mass.   2004
Felt So Good,  Fiber Arts Center, Amherst, Mass.,  2003
Threading the Eye,  Sherry Leedy Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri  2003
Intimate Expressions in Thread, Thirteen Moons Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico  2002
Modern Bestiary: An Artists View of the Animal Kingdom, Wustum Museum of Art  2002
Uncommon Threads: Embroidery as Fine Art,  Ft. Washington, Maryland  2000  

JURIED CRAFT SHOWS

Smithsonian Craft Show,  Washington , D.C.   
Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show,  Philadelphia , Pennsylvania
American Craft Exposition,  Evanston , Illinois
 American Craft Council - Baltimore,  Baltimore , Maryland
 Ann Arbor Street Art Fair,  Ann Arbor , Michigan
 Washington Craft Show,  Washington , D.C.
 Lakefront Festival of Arts,  Milwaukee Art Museum ,  Milwaukee , Wisconsin

AWARDS AND GRANTS

2009 Niche Award Winner,  Niche Magazine,  2009
 Ohio Arts Council Grant,  Individual Excellence Award,   2008
Aide to Individual Artist Grant,  Summerfair, Inc.,  Cincinnati , Ohio   2006
Exhibitor's Choice Bronze Award,  Smithsonian Craft Show,  Washington , D.C.    2006
Award for Excellence in Fiber,  The American Craft Exposition,  Evanston , Illinois   2005
Chosen to Design the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair Poster and T-Shirt,  Ann Arbor , Michigan   2005
Award of Excellence,  Ann Arbor Street Art Fair,  Ann Arbor , Michigan   2001
Small Expressions,  Second Place ,  Hand Weaver's Guild of America   2000
Award of Excellence,  The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show,  Philadelphia , Pennsylvania    1998

CORPORATE COLLECTIONS 

Ohio Craft Museum,  Columbus, Ohio  
Sprint Communications,  Kansas City, Missouri
Louisville Gas and Electric Company,  Louisville, Kentucky
Kaiser Permanente,  Rockville, Maryland
Cincinnati Bell Information Systems,  Cincinnati, Ohio

PUBLICATIONS AND REVIEWS

Surface Design Magazine, winter edition, Informed Sources Section, 2010
Anna Magazine, Feature Article: Fine Feathered Friends, summer edition, 2009
Fine Art / Fine Craft,  Cincinnati Enquirer Newspaper,  by Sara Pierce,  September 30   2007
Smithsonian Desk Calendar,  image chosen for calendar,  month of April   2007
Fiberarts Magazine,  Featured Article:  Of Flora and Fauna,  A Talk with Renee Harris and Donna June Katz, 
Summer  vol. 33,  No. 1   2006
American Style Magazine,  October issue,  page 26   2004
Fiberarts Design Book Seven,  Lark Books,  page 87   2004
American Craft Magazine,  August/September issue,  Gallery Section   2003
Shuttle Spindle and Dyepot Magazine,  vol. 31,  no. 3  Small Expressions Award   2000
Fiberarts Design Book Six,  Lark Books,  page 118   1999
Fiberarts Magazine,  vol.18,  no. 3,  Exposure Section   1994
Flying Needle Magazine,  front cover,  Council of American Embroiderers   1994


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