About | Trail Threads™

Trail Threads™ is a very personal, artistic manifestation of how I see and experience the world.  I am very inspired by nature, the outdoors, travel and adventure, and these are the themes in every design for the Trail Threads™ collection.  Each design originates from a quick doodle in my sketchbook, drafted at the end of a day biking, hiking or camping. I’m constantly drawing and taking in the surroundings that inspire me to create.

On my first trip out of the country to Mexico many years ago my camera and my sketchbook came along.  My sketchbook quickly filled with drawings of the people and places I saw.  As I continued to travel, the more my book (and subsequent ones) filled up with these sketches.  As years passed I not only drew what I saw around me, I began to illustrate with my own slant on the natural world, the places I visited and the adventures I had. I created my own unique style.

I was a high school Art teacher for 14 years.  Summers afforded me three months to travel, explore and have adventures.  When summers weren’t long enough to squeeze in an epic trip, I resigned, hoping to find work when the journey ended.  After resigning the second time, I realized that though I loved working with kids in the classroom, traveling and having adventures was what I really wanted for my life.  Upon returning home from Argentina after six months biking the length of South America, I chose to blend my work and play into one life.  Now the line between what I do for a living and what I do for fun is unrecognizable.  Trail Threads™ is an expression of this pursuit: a long-time dream to create original art inspired by epic adventure and share it with the world while living a fun, meaningful and adventurous life.

As I travel around the country and the world, I’m fascinated with culture and how it differs from place to place. I love customary clothing and textile patterns, old bicycles, rural architecture of small villages, street art, and colorful wooden fishing boats.  I’m equally enamored with the landscape and wildlife endemic to a place.  These are what I photograph and draw in my sketchbook. My art comes from these cultural experiences and why I think it is unique.  Each design has its own story from a particular spot on the globe. My artwork, inspired by these experiences hopefully resonates with people and draws them in to look closely at the details and compels them to interpret the stories for themselves.

As a grassroots brand I love building relationships with people in the outdoor industry and meeting people at festivals and events. Having Trail Threads™ in stores (and selling online) is not only exciting for me from a business perspective, but also affirms that it is possible to make a living doing what you love.

Now...on to the next adventure!