ARTIST STATEMENT

 

               I am a textile artist and art teacher, with a bachelor degree in Visual Arts and Education from FAAP (São Paulo, Brazil), a Masters Degree in the Textile Department of NSCAD University (Halifax, Canada), and a certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy from Langara College. I have over twenty years of experience as a textile artist, teaching art and leading community projects among children, youth, adults, and seniors mostly in the textile field.               

               As an artist, I have my personal Shibori and printing work with an small online store. My work also often fuses with the artwork done through collaborations and legacy projects executed within different communities. After so many years working with manual dyeing and using traditional fabric techniques to create patterns on fabric, I feel I have enough technical knowledge to just enjoy the process of creating fabrics with a lot of freedom. That is also why I feel confident to pass this content to other people.             

               I believe in the innovative and timeless aspects of traditional techniques and I feel inspired by the juxtaposition between the two worlds of ancient cultures and contemporary art. I am inspired by the richness of simplicity, by designs that result from consecutive layers of colours and the combination of geometrical forms. Throughout my career I have learned how to work in partnership with materials and I try to combine my initial creative plans with elements of chance and surprises that arise from the process. I look for the balance among controlling and letting go while creating. It is in the search for harmony between these two opposite forces that I create my work.       

               In community projects, I often have a theme, a concept, a primary idea to start with. I take care of technical matters to make sure the media and final piece is adequate to the space where I am working. I may guide people for cohesiveness of the project. However, I always leave space for individual creations, for the work to unfold the way it needs to unfold, to change directions if needed, and to express not only my voice but the voice of all other participants.​​​