Artist Spotlight: Janette Gross

Bay Area tapestry artist Janette Gross will have a piece in the upcoming exhibition at SJMQT, American Tapestry Biennial 13. She also had her work, Purple Rain on view at SJMQT during the member’s exhibition, Juncture, and is a member of Tapestry Weavers West.

Purple Rain, 2016

What are materials and processes utilized in your work?

I am a weaver. For my tapestry pieces, I mostly use wool but I will use whatever works in a piece, which might include cotton, silk, shiny threads or yarns made from recycled plastic bottles. I dye or over-dye wool single ply yarn. I often use a resist dye technique to add more interest and depth to the colors. After the yarn is dyed, I add extra twist with an electric spinning wheel to make the yarn more light reflective and to give the piece more definition.

I mostly weave in a technique called wedge weave that originated with the Diné Nation (Navajo) in the late 19th century. The defining feature of wedge weave is that it is woven on the diagonal which results in wavy or scalloped edges. I also add a card-woven edge to my tapestry to further define the scallops.

Describe the main differences between your “old” studio and SIP studio:

Bathing Blues, 2004

I belong to several groups of weavers that (used to) meet regularly. Each Monday, I work with a group of blind weavers. The fact that we cannot get together is hard for the weavers because their weaving is an important creative activity and they cannot do it at home by themselves. 

I also belong to a small tapestry study group that meets at picnic tables by the beach in good weather and coffee houses other times. And most importantly, for almost 15 years, I have woven in the Watsonville studio of renowned rug weaver, mentor and friend, Martha Stanley. There are six of us who have floor looms in her converted barn and we weave or dye together at least once a week.

Projects began before SIP, have been left alone in the Watsonville studio. I think of them silently waiting for our return. We keep in touch by email and have lately been trading patterns for “the perfect” mask as well as sharing photos of projects, dyeing experiments and spring plantings. But of course, it’s not the same.

At home, I am focusing on small pieces using my 12” Mirrix tapestry loom. This is very different for me because I usually weave on a floor loom and my pieces are 2’ by 3’ or larger. The little loom is very portable and I try to weave outside as much as possible. I am using this time to experiment and try things I’ve not yet done but always wanted to try.

What has surprised you about your practice since SIP?

I don’t have more time to weave, which is a total surprise. I thought I would have lots more. Planning a long term project is also psychologically hard now with so much uncertainty and pain around us. I want my work to have significance as well as beauty, so my theme choice is important. That is why working on a smaller scale and taking the time to just experiment seems appropriate for now.

A wonderful and unanticipated outcome of SIP is how the art world has embraced online programming and Zoom meetings. In the fiber world we are seeing online gallery shows, artist’s studio tours and how to’s being shared by teachers and book authors.

My own small tapestry group here in Santa Cruz is meeting regularly on Zoom. We work on our projects at home as we chat and share progress with each other just as we would meeting at a coffee shop. We also included a wonderful weaver from Israel in one of our weekly meet-ups which never would have happened before. We have engaged a well known tapestry teacher from out of the area, to give us a talk and help us with technical issues. I hope after SIP, this wonderful world-wide connection will continue.

IMPACT: Climate Change San Francisco, 2020

The Last Iceburg, 2020

What do you do when you get “stuck” in your creative process. Where do you turn for inspiration?

I never run out of ideas especially when I get going on a theme. My problem is usually that I have too many ideas and things I want to try and I don’t know which one to pursue. Tapestry takes a while to set up and complete. I only weave a few a year so there’s more pressure to plan it out as fully as possible. However, I find that sometimes I just have to dive in and start weaving with colors that I love and a basic design idea.

The details almost always change once I am on the loom anyway. This is especially true with wedge weave which is why I love the technique. It is never boring and it takes me on some very interesting journeys.

As for non art-related activities…

I am fortunate to live a few blocks from the Monterey Bay. My husband and I take daily walks with our 1 1/2 year old active puppy. The Bay is always changing and surprising us with something new. It also provides endless ideas for tapestries!

Sneaker Wave, 2010

Purple Rain detail

Artist Spotlight: Michael Rohde

Studio Portrait by Donna Granata
(photo credit: Donna Granata)

Our next Artist Interview is Michael Rohde, an artist who will be exhibiting artwork in our upcoming exhibition American Tapestry Biennial 13. He was also featured in Embedded Pattern: Deborah Corsini, Alex Friedman, Michael Rohde at SJMQT in 2017.

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“Dream” - 2014 handwoven tapestry: alpaca
(photo credit: Andrew Neuhart)

What are materials and processes utilized in your body of work?

I make handwoven tapestries, with non-representational imagery, usually honoring the grid imposed by the loom with warp and weft perpendicular to each other. Mostly I use wool yarns and natural dyes. Color is a major aspect of my practice, hence I have always found it important to dye my own yarns, in order to obtain colors and ranges of colors not commercially available. Like a painter, I use a set of base colors and mix them to achieve the effects I want my work to present.

Describe the main differences between your "old" studio to your Shelter in Place studio.

Some things remain the same, but the biggest difference is the freedom to pursue several aspects of the artistic work at the same time. I have skeins of yarns already prepared for dyeing, I’ll calculate a set of color formulas and start heating the dye-pots. While the heating is progressing, I’ll work at the loom weaving, be thinking about what the next work in a series might be, and what variations on the first set of colors I will do in the second round of dyeing.

studio photo April 2020 (photo credit Michael Rohde)

yarns ready for current tapestry in progress
(photo credit Michael Rohde)

What has surprised you about your art practice since the Shelter in Place order?

How much work I can get done, without interruptions, such as going to meetings, lectures and other social events. Of course, my realization or hope is that things will eventually change and I’ll be able to resume these ‘interrupting’ activities, and see friends in person, rather than by phone or on video screens.

“Interrogative” - 2019, handwoven tapestry; wool, natural dyes; 76” x 47” Included in Fiberarts International 2019
(photo credit: W. Scott Miles)

What do you do when you get "stuck" in your creative process? Where do you turn for inspiration?

Many times, a series of work will come as a response to other visual stimulations, often textiles from other traditions, so I’ll look at books or other images. The same approach can be applied to photos I’ve taken over the years. For example, the current suite of tapestries I’m doing now are reactions to building facades in Oaxaca, Mexico. My photos are cropped, and abstracted by reducing the image to giant pixels. This design process, for me, reveals subtle color differences in a large wall that seems to be monochromatic.

What are you currently reading/ listening to?

In the morning I will listen to news on public radio, then music when news become too much, and if I want to encourage myself to stay at the loom, I will listen to audio books. My most recent listen was recommended by a fellow artist: “Just Kids” by Patti Smith. It is her telling of moving to NYC as a young girl, meeting an equally young Robert Mapplethorpe and how over the years they supported each other’s artistic developments.

What advice would you give to other creatives at this moment in time?

Think of this as ‘free time’ to work, experiment and take artistic risks.

What drew you to the fiber art medium over others?

In the beginning it was a curiosity about how cloth was made, and the idea to weave a shirt for myself (this, despite several attempts never happened). Along the way, I developed an appreciation for the materials and processes, and an ease working with them. At art school, I realized that most artists want to do something that no one else has done or is doing; I appreciate that fiber is a much smaller field and making art in this medium is inherently different. On a panel, a question was asked if we ever made political work; my response was that in a sense working as an artist in fiber was a political act.

“Reality” - 2016 handwoven tapestry: wool, alpaca, silk, camel, llama, natural dyes; 431⁄2” x 321⁄2”
(photo credit: Andrew Neuhart)

Winter/Lake Biwa, 2001; wool, dyes; tapestry; 59” x 48” (photo credit: Andrew Neuhart)
Collection of The Art Institute of Chicago

Artist Spotlight: Victoria May

Next up is Santa Cruz-based artist Victoria May! You may remember seeing her handmade blouses in our current exhibition, Inside Out: Seeing Through Clothing and she will also be in our upcoming exhibition Three Ways: Ogunji, May, Diazoni. 

What are materials and processes utilized in your body of work?

In recent years I am more and more drawn to using mainly found or excess materials.  There is already so much stuff in the world, I sometimes can’t bear the thought of adding more. I am disgusted with the excess that is so rampant in our times and the obsession with newness and constant upgrading. The humble and abject materials that I use point to an appreciation for re-use and resourcefulness. It seems that any kind of lavishness has its roots in very ordinary material and it's often simply through some kind of labor or transformation that things become precious. Similarly, I am interested in transforming existing materials with a past life and allowing their history and connotations to contribute to a new configuration as an art object. 

While I draw heavily on typical textile materials such as commercial fabric, wool, canvas, silk, I also seek to reveal the surprising places one can find textiles, for example in industrial applications. I also like to take materials not thought of as textiles and treat them as such, through sewing, which is my main form of construction. I often draw on clothing construction techniques, when making sculptural works, which I think of as soft structural engineering. 

I also layer and hand stitch fabrics. I have used screen printing or stenciling to create painterly-looking pieces where added pieces of fabric function like brush strokes.

Since materials are at the core of my artwork, part of my practice is to figure out how they behave and what happens with different combinations. I like to pair opposites that might metaphorically or hapticly embody the struggles in the human condition. For example pouring concrete into gathered silk, stitching decor fabrics together with tire inner tubes, or like the older work in the current show, embedding sometimes abject materials, like hair, broken glass or bones in the framework of a delicate organza blouse. Some pieces require more time doing research than the actual making of the work! 

Describe the main differences of your 'old' studio to your 'Shelter in Place' studio.

I have a non-home studio that is fairly safe to go to. The main difference now is overcoming some anxiety about leaving the safe cocoon of my house and to only use my elbows in the common areas (just three to four people share the bathroom).

What has surprised you about your art practice since the Shelter in Place order?

I’ve been working a little more steadily albeit obsessively, just following what I want instead of pushing really hard. Pressures of imminent shows have fallen away, so I am allowing myself to do some simple, indulgent things. I am also cleaning up a lot and doing some sorely needed studio maintenance!

What are the largest obstacles you need to overcome (immediately, near future, distant future)? 

My studio is a mess! I need to cull, restructure and organize. I also tend to work on too many thing at once, so setting some priorities is needed to overcome constant distraction. I would like to get my studio mate’s industrial Juki sewing machine running so I can sew rubber again. I have nothing to sew it on right now, though I also can’t gather many inner tubes right now either. 

What do you do when you get "stuck" in your creative process? Where do you turn for inspiration? 

I rarely get stuck, given the multiple-explorations-at-once dilemma; there’s always something else to pursue. But when I do get overwhelmed by having to make a decision, I try to think of it as choosing a journey or a relationship. Which of these ideas will sustain me for a while? Like deciding about someone to date; are they going to get boring fast or stay interesting for a while?

And if I am really at a standstill, I keep an image bank that I don’t refer to so often, but sometimes when I need to, I peruse that more indulgently.

What are you currently reading/ listening to?

I just finished the Little Prince! And I discovered a wonderful German YouTube channel called MaiLab that is a blend of science and social science. It goes into depth on current scientific and sociological topics, like the corona virus, immigration, and gender differences, etc. I also try to keep up with my favorite NPR shows like the Moth, RadioLab and this American Life.

What advice would you give to other creatives at this moment in time? 

Just let yourself follow your nose and do whatever is soothing. You might make some interesting and important discoveries at this time.

What drew you to the fiber art medium over others?

I have been intimate with textiles for a very long time, so it was an organic choice. My mother taught me how to sew when I was around 10 years old and I immediately began making my own clothes. It became a creative outlet for me at a time when I was terribly shy, but coincided with adolescence when you need to forge your own identity. It also felt resourceful, which tied in with my family’s values as we didn’t have much money and my parents were both very inventive with found materials and making both functional and decorative things. I also had artistic tendencies when I was young, but didn’t trust my drawing abilities and felt much more empowered about pairing garment patterns and fabrics not to mention making something I could wear. 

In college I studied Design and I was immediately drawn to the textile classes and also took classes in costume design. My sewing background was a great foundation for those courses. 

After graduating from the university I didn’t really have any vocational skills. Serendipitiously my sewing skills actually got me one of my earliest jobs. I answered an ad for a seamstress at a local bridal boutique, got the job and that was were I learned a lot more about high-end garment construction, plus custom fitting. The job was a fascinating blend of problem-solving, manual construction of luxury goods and client relations! 

Later when I went back to grad school, I had applied with a photo portfolio, but still kept wanting to make things by hand out of fabric or other materials. Early in my time there, I met with Consuelo Underwood and her passion for textiles paired with her conceptual expectations gave me the motivation and rigor to explore expressing myself artistically through sewing. That was when I really figured out that materials could communicate ideas.

Textiles continue to fascinate me because they are so intertwined with our lives and our lived tactile experience and they can communicate at a different frequency than image-based art. They offer a more haptic experience yet that still creates sensations and ideas in the viewer.

What artist, who works in a different medium, informs your practice?  

Mark Bradford. He’s just using detritus; super humble ingredients built up to produce stunning works. I love the fact that his work can hit you on a number of levels. You see the piece in its entirety and be dazzled by the composition, the colors or texture. Then upon closer inspection you can make out the archeology of the piece and then it becomes even more exciting as the beauty blends with or emanates from the ordinary. 

What non-art related activity do you do to invigorate your body/ mind? 

Yoga, exercise, walking.

What is your favorite place to look at art work on the web? In person? 

Online, I don’t have any one source that I go back to, aside from Instagram. In person, I love going to LA and touring the art venues there. The Hammer Museum is a particular favorite.

What are you looking forward to doing again once Shelter in Place is over? 

Being with people and petting animals! I volunteer at a local sewing workshop and I miss that sense of community. And visiting San Francisco—I had planned to do a few studio visits with artists I wanted to get to know in the Bay Area and that is on hold. Conversely, I had been looking forward to having other artists and curators over to my own studio, so I’ll be excited when that can happen again. I am somewhat of an introvert, but I need a certain dose of being with people to feel whole. 

What is your favorite afternoon snack?

Irish breakfast tea with a spot of goat milk and a frozen waffle with tahini and orange marmalade.

Artist Spotlight: RoCoCo

RoCoCo is an artistic collaborative duo made up of KC Rosenberg (kcrosenberg.com) and Modesto Covarrubias (modyc.com). RoCoCo is short for Rosenberg Covarrubias Collaborations. Together they were the Artists in Residence at SJMQT in the Fall of 2017.

Describe the main differences of your 'old' studio to your 'Shelter in Place' studio.

We had been meeting in the studio and working together on our latest work. It involved working on the pieces side-by-side, with each of us focusing on at least one piece; then, when deemed necessary, we'd trade the piece for the other to add, subtract, and alter it in any way they saw fit. Pieces were traded back and forth until considered finished.

After realizing how Shelter-In-Place might affect our collaboration, we've come up with a way to continue in this manner but adding hygienic trading routines. Pieces and materials are traded by dropping off into a container (sealable box or bag). The pieces and materials are left alone for 72 hours, untouched.  Then, while adhering to cleaning protocols of wearing gloves, the pieces and materials are disinfected, cleansed, purified as best as possible, and worked on until they need to be traded or are considered finished. It's weird not being able just to hand the pieces or handle the same materials, like your collaborator may have cooties or something (we have to chuckle at this). Still, we are taking in the seriousness of containing the virus for everyone's lives now. Subsequently, this process directly addresses the reality of working in solitude while being a collaborative, as it has deliberately moved us to two separate spaces. There is a sudden understanding of our familiar interactions, and how we have grown as collaborators; the trust and intimacy around making are now being challenged by the hurdle or sheltering in place. This is, for now, the new normal for our practice together, and we are just beginning to incorporate the implications into the content as well as to the making of the work.

What has surprised you about your art practice since the Shelter in Place order?

It brings on a performative or ceremonial aspect to making. The process involves collecting the materials for the other person, packing them up, transporting them, receiving and then sorting them. And then we use our devised methods of understanding (somewhere between radar and telepathy) to decode what the other might have thought of by choice of materials. It's not quite guessing or analyzing, but almost like choreography or writing a song, with each of us taking on lyrics, chorus, melody and harmony as needed. Maybe we need a soundtrack, sage smoke, or some other ritual…

What do you do when you get "stuck" in your creative process? Where do you turn for inspiration?

Modesto: I go out for walks. Swimming has always helped as it is physical yet meditative. Watch films or listen to music. Sketch...lots of sketching.

KC: Yes, the walks are essential, but we have a secret weapon for when we get "stuck" in the collaboration; so far we have no shortage of ideas. We've sketched out more ideas than we will have in years for producing those ideas. I'd say I turn to Modesto and our collaboration for inspiration.

What are you currently reading/ listening to?

KC: I am reading about equity in education, leadership, and ethics. At the top of the stack today is “From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education,” Tia Brown Mcnair, Estella Bensimon and Lindsey Malcom-Piqeux, 2020.

KC: Top of the iTunes list for some reason Lizzo, my dear friends Felsen and the song "Every Day is a Winding Road" by Sheryl Crow.

Modesto: I just finished a book on Agnes Martin (Dia Foundation, 2012), and also finished Eva Hesse's diaries (Yale University Press, 2016) and looking for the next good read. For the project in Pacifica, it involves a lot of knitting, so I'm listening to all sorts of podcasts, including one by the Guggenheim about exhibitions on contemporary drawing in the 60s and 70s. I tend to submerge myself in artspeak until I can't take it anymore...then the music comes back and it's usually my favorite bands of the 80s and 90s, or opera.

What advice would you give to other creatives at this moment in time?

KC: It doesn't seem a time to be competitive at least not in a guarded, one-upmanship manner. I'd like to see more collaboration and collective agency for artists; more care and support for each other. Creatives are the best problem solvers, and sometimes, often, being ok with ambiguity might be the gift of all gifts between us.

Modesto: Don't stress out if you cannot make anything...it will seep back. We are all dealing with the shock of our current situation and whatever it leads to.  Lose yourself into whatever you need to and then slowly make your way back to being creative.  Allow time for play (whatever that means to you).  When you're ready, make make make.

What artist, who works in a different medium, informs your practice?

Modesto: Filmmakers: Akira Kurosawa, Agnes Varda, Pedro Almodóvar, Yasujiro Ozu, Mira Nair, Alfonso Cuarón, Michelangelo Antonioni, Tarkovsky, Hitchcock, Deepa Mehta, Satyajit Ray, Fellini, Kubrick, etc.

Modesto: Choreographers, Musicians, and other Performers: Laurie Anderson, Ron Athey, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Dimitris Papaioannou, Franko B, Diamanda Galas, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, David Byrne, etc.

They all have different ways of storytelling, of informing and using space and visual textures, and of expressing, effecting, or analyzing emotion.

KC: Musicians: Yes Laurie Anderson, too many to mention but women vocalists with grit Lucinda Williams, Erykah Badu, Gillian Welch.

Writers; Bachelard, Patti Smith's writing

Cooking random cooking competitions, recipes books

Also, art practices, crafts brought about from ingenuity or brought about out of need such as quilting, groups such as Gees Bend quilt collaborators

What non-art related activity do you do to invigorate your body/ mind?

Modesto:  Swimming. I let my body move while my mind is able to focus on something else. I can think through projects, mull over ideas, etc. while my body glides through the water, and my heart and lungs become strengthened.  Long walks are second best when I can't go swimming. Gardening, now that I have a little more time and it's spring!

KC: Dancing, singing, meditating, I also read a lot about teaching, pedagogy, and cognitive sciences, I'd say teaching invigorates my mind too.

What is your favorite place to look at the artwork on the web? In-person?

Modesto: Instagram. It's accessible and offers a variety that often leads to surprises; as long as you allow enough time to fall down the rabbit hole (but limit it so you don't get completely lost in it).  In person is anywhere that is open. I go to museums and galleries several times per month (before Shelter in Place). I also love to travel to see art; both contemporary and historic. The Prado and the Victoria & Albert Museum are my favorite museums in the world!

KC: I would always prefer in-person, of course, and even without the COVID outbreak, the time I have to do this is limited. Modesto and I still talk about which is better; Instagram or Facebook? As my son says, Facebook is for older people but I like to read about art too. I search out readings on Hyperallergic.com, and I find those links through Facebook.

What are you looking forward to doing again once Shelter in Place is over?

Modesto: Going out! Experiencing art in person. Swimming, eating in restaurants, sitting in cafes, sketching, and eavesdropping on conversations. Traveling. Being in a class with students. Making work in the studio together! Hugging my friends and family.

KC: Yes, teaching live! There's really no replacement for this in-studio practice. Concocting great potluck meals with friends Also, seeing live music and singing with my musician friends who have all been devastated by the recent isolation and loss of work.

What is your favorite afternoon snack?

Modesto: Dates with blue cheese; dried figs with cashew butter.

KC: Apples, cheese and a cup of tea and a biscuit (cookie). I love Modesto's favorites too.

Anything else you would like to say or mention?

We are both working on other "projects" outside of RoCoCo. KC is finishing her doctoral thesis for an EdD in Organizational Change and Leadership at USC, and Modesto is collaborating on a project about Sea Level Rise in Pacifica with a group of other artists through the Sanchez Art Center.

We are both teaching and reinventing our teaching capabilities around online instruction. We are seeing the potential of that space. The pressure of time and limitations of space apart from many people, including each other as a collaborative team, challenges us to remain curious as to how we can capture the occasion and show something about the ways we humans connect. Thinking about the "passion" in compassion at this time in the world, and how badly both are needed, it is important to understand how these two things generate so much imperative activity as the most vulnerable become more so, and we brace ourselves for hard times.

Our latest work is underway (all works in progress, except for Flipside. see below). We refer to these as the wrapped pieces:

The are based upon this piece, called Flipside, 2018: (Side A)

(Side B)

Talk of the Town series: Out Loud in A Crowd, 2019.

From an exhibition in Oakland 2019. (L to R: You Arrived Like a Day, 2019; Forgiveness Maquette, 2015; Passed Like a Cloud, 2019; Maybe Someday, 2019)

Grafting Nostalgic Series: Pruneyard Parking Lot, 2019

Grafting Nostalgic Series: Secrets of Greenmont West, 2019

Studio shot. late 2019 (Grafting Nostalgic series work):

Artist Spotlight: Ryan Carrington

This week we would like to introduce San Jose-based artist Ryan Carrington! He was previously our Pop-Up Open Studio Artist in August 2018, has featured work in the 2018 exhibition The Art of Labor in partnership with Surface Design Association, and is currently preparing for his upcoming solo exhibition at SJMQT titled Contradictions. Ryan's work deals with a wide range of issues that connect labor, class, work ethic, and economics with his personal history and family.  Using cast objects, construction materials, and tools that combine craftsmanship with symbolic irony, he is able to communicate his thoughts, ideas, and memories regarding themes of labor.

What are materials and processes utilized in your body of work?

I am an interdisciplinary artist who uses the idea that the material that something is made out of can inform the ideas behind the work.  By using construction materials directly off the shelf from Home Depot, pieces of uniforms that represent America’s workforce, or performing acts of labor while dressed as a CEO, I invite a discussion about the ever-changing class struggle in the United States.

I grew up in a family that values labor, hard work, and creating with one’s hands.  My work bridges issues of labor, class, work ethic and economics with my personal and family history.  Within my studio practice I delve deep into processes that parallel the monotony and tedium that laborers endure.

Through my art, I shed light on a corner of our society with a rich history of craftsmanship, process, and precision.  By nurturing a fresh fascination of tools and materials, I provoke consideration for how we value each other in our ever-changing community.   

Describe the main differences of your 'old' studio to your 'Shelter in Place' studio.

Certainly teaching art has taken a huge shift, and I miss seeing the wonderful students at Santa Clara University, and having access to the Edward M. Dowd Art and Art History building.  For the most part, my sewing studio hasn’t changed much.  After teeth are brushed and stories are read, I transform my living room and kitchen island into my studio the same way that I have for years.  

What has surprised you about your art practice since the Shelter in Place order?

Being productive is a challenge.  My wife and I both have fulltime teaching positions that have needed to be completely reinvented during the pandemic, and on top of that we are now fulltime caring for our 5 and 2-year-old children.  In the beginning at the end of the day it has proven harder than usual to pull out my machine and notions, but we have a pretty good rhythm going now, and I’m excited about my health care worker uniform flag that I’m making.   

What do you do when you get "stuck" in your creative process? Where do you turn for inspiration?

Often when I get “stuck” I turn to the limitations of the materials, and try to see what I can do to push them.  At the hardware store one day I realized that the colors of the screws for sale were the same as the fashion designer plaid Burberry, and I immediately began working on how to create the iconic pattern.  Through trial and error my Screw Relief Series began, and I was humbled to win honorable mention with one of these pieces in the Art of Labor show sponsored by the Surface Design Association at the SJMQT in 2018.  

 What are you currently reading/ listening to?

I’m pretty much a podcast junky.  Lately it has been the economic show Planet Money, and I just can’t get enough!

What advice would you give to other creatives at this moment in time?

Keep making.  Even if it means simply getting out your materials and having a look at them.  We are made to create, and, although it is difficult under these circumstances, it is imperative to your health that you find a way to keep your mind, hands, and hearts productive.  

What drew you to the fiber art medium over others?

I’m an interdisciplinary artist who works with everything from cast metal, to plywood, to fiber.  I can’t say that I was drawn to fiber art over other mediums, rather I was drawn to the rich conceptual history that used garments have to share.  Through utilizing the uniforms of blue and white-collar workers to create American flags, I provoke a conversation for how we value each other in our ever-changing society.  Used fabrics tell a story, and I am always surprised by the rich and intimate history that clothing can provide when dissected.  

 What artist, who works in a different medium, informs your practice?

A personal hero of mine is Mierle Laderman Ukeles.  Her work highlights underrepresented groups in our culture through everything from performance to prints to objects and helped provide context to the idea of “maintenance art”.  During her over 40-year artist-in-residence at the New York City Department of Sanitation, she has created choreographed truck performances, shook the hands of every single worker, and chrome platted a garbage truck to be used in NYC.  Her subtle yet strong approach to her artwork, while remaining fully committed to her cause and aesthetics, are things I aspire to do in my studio practice.  

What non-art related activity do you do to invigorate your body/ mind?

We are fortunate enough to have a wonderful garden in our backyard, and spend many hours out there.  There are few things that exemplify patience as much as a garden, and the joy of my little ones harvesting broccoli was an incredible gift from Mother Nature.  

What is your favorite place to look at art work on the web? In person?

Insta.  So quick, little commitment.  Just let me turn it on cruise and flood me with images.

What are you looking forward to doing again once Shelter in Place is over?

Seeing those that we love.  We’ve got a lot of action here, and, although we would love to venture out to the park, the hardest part is being away from the people who are so important to us.  

Anything else you would like to say or mention?

I was selected for the Center for Arts and Humanities Fellowship 2020-2021 for my upcoming exhibition at the SJMQT.  They recently asked me to put together a blog post that they plan to publish soon, and two excerpts from that are below.  

“I’ve been preparing for my solo exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles titled, Contradictions, scheduled to open in November.  Imagine a take on the tradition of the American barbeque, complete with flags, gingham plaid, and a giant plywood pie.  The work is meant to simultaneously honor traditions of American culture, as well as provoke consideration for how we value each other in our ever-changing community.   

By using the uniforms of healthcare workers to make an American flag, I’m honoring the hard work and dedication that they are putting forth as they literally fight for our lives.  The sacrifice and courage that our nurses, doctors, and hospital staff have made for the health of our society is unimaginable.  Trained as an artist, this is my way of participating in this larger conversation, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to say thank you for their service, and hope that everyone stays safe through these uncertain times.”

Read another interview with Ryan:

Honoring Health Care Workers from a Kitchen Studio