My exposure to textiles began in 1992, when I took a course in batik, the ancient wax resist dyeing technique. I immediately fell in love with the process, especially because of the dynamic effect of the flow of hot wax, the concept of layering and the surprises that the process offers. The quick empathy I found with batik allowed me to focus almost exclusively on this practice on fabric and on paper for many years, until I started to expand my work towards other printing and dyeing methods which I have continued exploring until today.
My practice has always been accompanied by research into the history of manually produced textiles as well as some field trips to textile communities in different parts of the world, mainly in India. I am interested in seeing how these artistic manifestations are so strongly related to the cultural aspects of their original places. In that way I feel I am able to insert them into a contemporary context and apply them to my own work.
I am particularly captivated by the different kinds of resist dyeing processes, in which patterns are constructed through the manipulation of fabrics and the use of other materials to prevent dyes or discharge agents from reaching certain areas of the cloth. I am interested in generating a sensation of depth on two-dimensional surfaces through the exploration of layers of rich colours, the prevented areas on each layer, and geometrical and organic forms. I work in partnership with the materials, allowing fibre and liquid media to respond according to their own qualities. In this manner I combine my initial plans with elements of chance and enjoyment of the surprising variations that arise from this process.
Since I became a textile artist I have been producing mainly objects for the body and for the home. I am attracted by the tactile properties of fibers as well as the idea of bringing beauty into our daily life. In my most recent work I have been exploring elements of the traditional Japanese shibori. Different ways of binding, stitching, folding, twisting and compressing the fabric have guided my latest creations, revealing continuous ways for constructing sensual surfaces.
