In a recent artist interview in the Textile Curator blog, the curator asked how long a piece took to complete. There was really no way to answer but the story behind Accidentals is a good case in point.
Two years ago I pinned up about 90 sheets of my silk screened plastic sheets onto a wall in my studio. It looked like a crazy quilt. I had an idea about making an oversize artist book. It was interesting but not extraordinary.
Sergio Unzueta, el curador responsable de mi exposición individual en Chapala (2018), se ha convertido en un gran admirador de mi trabajo y ha estado promocionando propuestas de exhibición en varios lugares en Guadalajara. En nuestra última reunión en diciembre, nos recibió con una gran sonrisa en su rostro y anunció que su propuesta para una exposición individual había sido aceptada en el Palacio de la Cultura y el Congreso (PALCCO).
Solo Show Proposal Accepted!
Sergio Unzeta, the curator who was responsible for my solo show in Chapala (2018), has become a big fan of my work and has been shopping exhibition proposals around various venues in Guadalajara. At our last meeting in December, he greeted us with a big grin on his face and announced that his proposal for a solo show had been accepted at the Palacio de la Cultura y Los Congress (PALCCO).
In October 2016, I spent a month at La Porte Peinte artist residency in a small medieval village in central France. I did hours of research about endangered birds, which led to a series of 18 drawings of birds around the world whose existence is threatened by habitat destruction and other thoughtless human practices.
Soon after we selected Louise Saxton, our first resident artist from Australia (see our interview http://360xochiquetzal.com/louise-saxton/), we were contacted by Janet deBoer, the publisher of Textile Fibre Forum, the premier fiber publication in Australia. Janet wanted to do an article about Louise in the context of her upcoming residency. A nice email exchange ensued, during which I sent Janet some images of my work as a way of explaining my penchant for artists working in fiber.
When Janet saw my work, she immediately wanted to do an article about my artwork and 360 Xochi Quetzal! It was very affirming to get such an enthusiastic response from Janet, who is a household name in textiles.
I have read Textile Fibre Forum for many years in order to follow the developments in the vibrant fiber art community down under. I was very honored to be included in this international publication. My 2-page interview appeared in Issue No. 166 (see cover photo).
The interview covers some topics that I don’t usually get to address, like my ambivalence about using digital imagery, the evolution of my environmental concerns, my background in textile design and why I started the 360 Xochi Quetzal Artist Residency Program www.360xochiquetzal.com
http://artwearpublications.com.au/magazines/single-issues/textile-fibre-forum-magazine.html
My Mexican Studio Assistants-
Although I have studios in Durham, NC and Chapala, Mexico, most of my production work takes place in Mexico. Due to the vast difference in pay scale, I can afford to employ a team of Mexican women to fabricate my feathers.
The favorite spice of fiber artists
Even when I worked with fiber and encaustic, I bounced back and forth between letting the wax glow unimpeded versus adding waxed linen and wire to create surface texture. Now that I am creating feathers by screen-printing on fused plastic bags I have started to feel the tidal pull towards adding texture again.
Every summer I jury a couple hundred applications for the 360 Xochi Quetzal Artist Residency Program. One note I frequently write on applications: work and statement both strong but not integrated. One day I snapped to attention because I realized that my pieces were guilty of this too.