Russian artist Katika is based in Moscow where she crochets colourful portraits and images. Describing her work as “yarn paintings or crochet art,” she wants to show that crochet can also be viewed as “modern art.” 

What is your background in textiles?

I am self-taught. I have always had a great appreciation of textiles and a desire to work with them one way or another – I constructed clothes for a while, for example – but never got an education in the field.

What is it that appeals to you about crochet?

Crochet is something I have always loved since I was six and my mother taught me to use a crochet hook. However, I never crocheted clothes and only crocheted as a way to relax; my true passion was art, which I pursued in many forms. In 2014 it dawned on me, that I could combine the two. I love the feeling of making something three dimensional, tangible and warm with my own hands. I love that it is possible to fold and iron my pieces, to sew them onto bags or items of clothing, or to use them as shawls or scarves. My pieces play with the idea of being useful and practical, when ultimately, they are not.

How do you describe your work?

I always say that I create yarn paintings or crochet art. I emphasise the “art” part of it, because I’d like more people to expand their notions of modern art. I have a great audience and many people supported me right away, but many, especially here in Russia, are still hesitant to accept any unusual art form as proper art.

How and where do you work?

Usually, I work at my home studio, but sometimes I take my work with me and crochet everywhere. Firstly, I come up with a visual concept, which is relatively easy when I create commissioned portraits but can be challenging for more personal pieces, like it was with my pieces about mental struggles, e.g. ‘Depression’ and ‘Self-harm’. Secondly I sketch a lot to find the composition I like best and try out colour schemes. Thirdly, I prepare the materials and finally, I start crocheting. How exactly I crochet a piece depends on the composition and the image itself. Sometimes, I have one center and crochet around it but sometimes the whole image looks better when it consists of several individually created parts.

What type of wool do you use?

I don’t have a preference, I love all types of yarn. I used a lot of acrylic and mixed yarns at first because sometimes, I had allergic reactions to organic materials. Now it’s no longer an issue. Lately I’ve been experimenting with dyeing and spinning my own materials out of wool which I buy wholesale.

How long does a piece generally take?

Depending on the size and how complicated the piece is, it can take me any length of time from several days to several weeks to complete a piece. On average, it takes about a week or a week and a half. A few times, when it took me many attempts to realise my vision just right, I worked on one piece for a month or even more between other projects.

What inspires you?

My main source of inspiration is people. Beautiful, fascinating, interesting people I see in real life, riding on the subway trains or walking the steets always feed my imagination. The internet helps too: I often want to create portraits of other artists who inspire me, of scientists and celebrities. Making a portrait of someone whose art moved me is the best way for me to convey my love and appreciation, so there are many portraits of famous people in my portfolio. I often feel truly inspired while working on commissions because I usually learn something interesting and lovely about people I don’t even know and they become dear to me.

What are you most proud of in your career so far?

It is a difficult question, because the answer to it changes all the time. I’m pretty proud of my ‘Glitch’ project as a whole, of three-piece commission I did for a presidential suite for a hotel in Switzerland (those are portraits of Freddie Mercury, Tina Turner and Bono), of a commission I did recently (a customer commissioned a portrait of her husband with their little son, it’s a very soft and gentle piece). I am also very into my current projects.

You have a brilliant Instagram following. Do you have any tips for artists looking to build up a large following?

I’m afraid I don’t have any valuable insights except for what is already widely known. Firstly, it’s important to take good photos of your art to show people how your pieces look in real life. Secondly, post regularly and don’t be shy to self-promote. Look for sites, facebook groups, and other places dedicated to art similar to yours, and try to get on them. Thirdly, I would say, be friendly and don’t pass on opportunities to get acquainted with other artists, both online and in real life. This piece of advice is not about amassing a large audience, per se, though you and your art friends can cross promote, it is more about finding people who love art as much as you do. Having art friends is great, because you can always support and inspire each other, as well as do art projects together.

Do you have any advice for aspiring textile artists?

Once again, I’m afraid it will sound like a platitude, but this is what I tell myself sometimes: work hard and don’t give up. The more you work the more confident you are in your technique and the more new things you want to try in your art just because you get sick of doing the same thing. Trying new things doesn’t always lead to new awesome techniques, but it sure helps to boost your creativity. As for not giving up part… well, you might feel that there are many reasons to give up – for example, people don’t take you seriously, you have massive self-doubt, you don’t get much feedback and feel forgotten, etc. You should remind yourself why you got into art, and it probably wasn’t for attention. It is just as important to keep in mind that dissatisfaction with your art is painful, sure, but also necessary to grow and master your art form. Good luck with your artistic endeavours!

Is there anything you would like to add?

I would like to share the main idea of my art, which is, everyone and everything is connected, much like threads in my yarn paintings are intertwined together to create a clear image. No one is truly alone, and everyone’s words and actions mean something. I think, it is an important image to carry around in one’s mind since it is grounding, humbling and inspiring – for if everyone is connected, everyone has something or someone they can reach.

https://www.instagram.com/katikaart/

https://www.facebook.com/Katikacrochetart/

https://www.artsy.net/artist/katika

https://www.patreon.com/katikaart

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1BY9BciWmpQMzbbuEYzWuQ?view_as=subscriber