Any artist knows the importance of having an artist's statement. As I may have stated earlier, I was kind of floppin' around and unsure of who I was as an artist, as I am surrounded by painters and sculptors. I sew. In trying to find myself I have been exposed to exactly how vast the world of fiber arts is. Very Exiting. So I've finally come up with my artist's statement and it really opened things up for me. I finally feel like I have found my niche. In a nutshell, my work focuses on the transformation of the surface. I'm doing a lot of re-vamping of fabrics that I already have and making them my own. Case in point:
I started with this...cute, but too cute.
I'm using this time to really explore with fabric manipulation and embellishment of all types. It's really helping me to develop a different aesthetic. I am seriously considering incorporating these techniques into my bags for MASHULU. I have been trying to think of something to really set my bags apart. They will be a little more time consuming to make, but the techniques I'm experimenting with really lends themselves to the creation of one-of-a-kind bags and clutches. Of course I will offer more sensible options for things like travel and baby bags, but still with a little edge to them. Just to give a taste of what I'm talking about, here's a pic of one of the bags I'm working on as part of my school work:
It's a work in progress but I used free-motion embroidery, reverse applique, trapunto, textured gel medium, and fabric paint. My mind is about to burst with new designs to make for sale...maybe slightly less "out there" than this one, lol.
