Artist Statement - Textile Works

    Finding inspiration from the surrounding world and observed lived experiences, my research lies in a multitude of topics. Childhood; an experience of growth, development and education. Food; a cultural symbol, a personal or collective experience or identity, and a connective element. Feminism; the embodied experiences, the judgments and the expectations, and the altered gaze on the body. My work aims to have the viewer question, experience, reminisce, or simply find enjoyment. It is important for me to make sure that everything I make is visually pleasing, even if the visual reference is not typically considered as such, because I strongly believe in art being a tool for positivity and overall well-being through its aesthetic qualities.

    Through the love of exploration, the use of multiple mediums guides my work; capturing a moment or idea through a photograph, recreating an experience or memory through a print, and sharing an appreciation or critique through textile. Conversations with new topics and mediums allows my practice to continuously change. 

    With women having historically been the primary textile workers throughout many of its disciplines, womanhood is naturally woven into textile. Textiles have been a relevant medium in my life as a woman since I was a little girl, with my grandmother creating knitted garments for my dolls, my mother sewing dresses and pajamas for both my sister and me, progressing to both teaching me to sew and work with various textile mediums for various purposes, and finally using textiles while working with my mother during artisanal markets. Now, I use textiles in a wide range of ways, for personal purposes, and artistic purposes. I believe textiles can tell many stories just like any 2D medium, but through the incorporation of the sense of touch, textiles add another dimension to artworks that many other mediums can not offer or replicate.