I started with 11 swatches of different materials and a couple of items that hold a memory, and wrote down the feelings and a memory each one gave me. This was an exercise not only in testing the theory that tactile experience would evoke memory, but also in determining which textures most often encode memory. 

These items include a pair of gloves gifted to me, a scrap of wood that I painted on in studio, a book dating back to 1889 that I got on a trip, a sweater that I bought my first winter in Pittsburgh, and sand paper that signifies the rocks on a mountain. Each of these items were chosen because they tell a story of the past.