Denise first attended Convergence in 1986 and at the time was primarily interested in spinning and tapestry weaving. She thought in general the Convergence was very well organised, but that the discussions were fairly ordinary. In 1993 Denise and her sister travelled to the southwest United States and while there Denise fell in love with the colours and textiles of the area. She was very keen and excited to be able to return to the area for Convergence 2010.

During the trip, she went on a tour to Ghost Ranch, where she was able to see some of the same landscapes that inspired the painter Georgia O'Keeffe. Denise also visited Santa Fe, home of a fascinating Opera which was literally exposed to the elements, lending a new meaning to the call for 'change of scene'!

Denise was able to attend several tapestry weaving workshops which sounded inspiring, these included workshops run by Rebecca Bluestone, Jennifer Moore and James Koehler. The exhibitions at Convergence impressed Denise less as the lighting was inadequate and many were hung in inaccessible places. The fashion parade was also disappointing as it was not well presented and the clothes were not shown at their best.

The range of subjects available in the workshops was impressive and Denise had no trouble filling her timetable. She spent five days with James Koehler and learnt a great deal. She attended a four-day tapestry weavers retreat in Santa Fe as well which was well delivered.

Denise brought some fascinating photographs, both of the scenery of the area she was visiting and the work which was both on show and being created at Convergence. It was easy to pick out the colour themes in work on display, which often reflected the dramatic red, yellows and blues of the skies and sunsets in New Mexico.