Dee’s Story

I developed a fondness for plants and animals from an early age, visiting my grandmother on her farm in the summertime. I also became fascinated with surface pattern while watching my grandmother and great aunts making patchwork quilts from patterned flour-sack fabric. 

From childhood in the Carolinas, I went to high school near Philadelphia. I followed several creative paths before entering art school. I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art of Temple University. After many years of working as a graphic designer both in Chicago and at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, I began my graduate art studies at UMKC. In 2017, I accepted a graduate teaching assistantship at Kansas State University where I completed my Master of Fine Arts in 2020.

My M.F.A. degree exhibition, PolleNative premiered in spring 2020 at KSU in Manhattan, Kansas. The large-scale installation piece featured 10 original patterns inspired by native plants of North America printed on fabric panels along with laser-cut forms of native bees. My husband Paul was integral in developing the structure for the large fabric panels. I requested that he also build a solitary bee nesting house for the show.

Having seen most of our plans for 2020 change due to the pandemic, Paul & I started a new business, Leaf & Sky which features my art inspired by native plants and bees. Following the first native bee house, Paul began making other bee houses as well as houses for birds, bats, butterflies, etc. 

in April & May of 2021, PolleNative exhibited at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Conservation Center in Kansas City.

We produced a calendar, For the Bees for 2021, featuring 12 patterns inspired by native plants of North America. It was a small print run on recycled paper. The calendar was a success and I am developing art and design for our 2022 calendar which is titled, Pollinator Garden.