California textile artist Vicki Assegued combines found and upcycled materials to create colourful, layered life affirming pieces using a range of techniques. Her work “emulates the power of perspective (how we each value the materials in our lives), possibility (exploring and discovering what can be done with these materials) and transformation (changing the unwanted into the wanted and sharing the delight of it with others).”

Firstly, where did you grow up and where do you live now?

I grew up in a rural part of New York, where I formed a beautiful bond with nature. I spent a lot of time outdoors which opened me up in ways that exponentially informed my art and led me to continually experiment with creative processes and materials. I’ve lived in the Northern California/Bay Area since the early 1980’s and I love it here, with the incredible nature and culture to explore and enjoy.

What is your background in textiles?

I’m a self-taught fiber artist, who found my way to textiles about five years ago. Prior to that, I made art with found objects for many years, using wood, plastic, metal and any materials that inspired me. Several years ago, I participated in SCRAP, the Santa Cruz Recycled Art Program, which was the most incredible opportunity for a found object artist.

For four months, the six of us SCRAP artists had full access to the dump, where we could collect anything we wanted to use for making art. I was the quintessential kid in a candy store. I’d never had so many incredible and unusual objects available to me, things I’d never had access to before.

I loved the idea of turning one person’s garbage into another person’s artwork, transforming what was considered undesirable and not valued into something beautiful and truly valued.

Shortly after SCRAP ended, I went to a secondhand shop, looking for objects to include in my art. It was just before Halloween, and there were many costumes hanging on the racks, glittering, colorful, textured and with so much variety. Suddenly, a huge and unexpected shift happened, and I fell in love with fabric. Somehow, I knew in that moment that I was transitioning away from making art with found objects and towards making art with fabrics and fibers.

 Although I changed my medium to textiles, I still wanted to incorporate unwanted materials into something new and life-affirming. I wanted my work to emulate the power of perspective (how we each value the materials in our lives), possibility (exploring and discovering what can be done with these materials) and transformation (changing the unwanted into the wanted and sharing the delight of it with others).

I began collecting secondhand clothing, costumes, cushion covers, tablecloths, scrap fabrics, and other forms of fiber, such as yarn, string and lace, all from yard sales, thrift stores, free boxes and friends. I had no idea what I’d make, nor how I’d go about it. I just knew I was driven to textiles and would find my way.

Once I’d collected a variety of textiles, I began my fiber art journey by experimenting with techniques and methods. I spent a lot of time hand sewing, trying out adhesives, tying, weaving, knotting, layering, and following the ideas that came to me. One experiment would lead to the next and to developing several new techniques, and it all built upon itself in a terrific way. And happily, this process of exploring and discovery is ongoing.

What is it about textiles as an art form that appeals to you?

Textiles come in so very many forms, in content, color, design, feel, pattern, weave, decoration, texture, and from all different cultures. I get inspired simply by looking at fabric as well as by the infinite possibilities and combinations. Textiles can be altered, changed, combined and reused in so many ways. They invite and open a world of possibilities.

Compared to my past of making found object art, which required using heavy duty materials and tools, I love the ease of working with fiber art, with less complex tools, and with softer materials that are so much simpler to cut, manipulate, stuff, sew, attach, shape, tie and twist. The possibilities are endless.

When I teach workshops and lay out many fabrics for my students to choose from, I find it mystifying and fascinating to see their selection process, to see which fabrics appeal to them and what combinations they’ll choose to make. Each person’s aesthetic is so different. Another aspect of textiles that appeals to me is that my students can learn to work with them quickly and easily, and get active right away with their creative process, whether they are beginning or advanced artists.

How do you describe your work?

My work is created to bring forth what’s internal, into the external, tapping into the bright place within me, in order to bring it out and brighten the world. My work manifests my aesthetic and my spirit, to bring inspiration and happiness to those who experience it. It’s rich with layers, colours, a fun variety of materials, unique creative expression and inviting.

What techniques do you use in your work?

Through experimentation, I continually discover new techniques and ways to work. For example, along with weaving on my homemade loom, I also weave on a variety of substrates such as plastic fencing or metal grid shelving. And, I like to weave with a variety of different materials and objects.

When I’m layering, I may use sewing, stuffing, an iron-on adhesive, or tying with string or wire. For creating texture and beauty, I maneuver fabric by knotting, twisting, tying, layering, weaving, sewing, stuffing, adding ornamentation, etc. My goal is to continually discover new techniques through experimentation, by instilling myself with an openness to what unfolds during the creative process, combined with a “no mistakes” attitude…in other words, welcoming the evolving process, and staying with it to get where I want to go.

I don’t have a vision of how it will look, because I work spontaneously, letting the piece evolve as I make it.

How do you create a piece?

I let the spirit, inspiration, creative process, materials and beauty move me. I may come upon a substrate to build upon, or a piece of fabric I find to be gorgeous, and I launch from there. As the piece develops, I do a lot of auditioning, meaning that I look through my stash to see what fabric, string, bead, button, etc. may work with my current piece, and then I hold it up to the piece, in various configurations, to see if I like it, or not. Every added piece is chosen with great care as it becomes a part of the whole. What amazes me is that the process of doing this, of selecting what to use, and where to include it, is so intuitive and not logical. It’s very much more of a feeling process than a mental process. For this reason, making art is a meditation and both deeply relaxing and profoundly satisfying.

How long does a bigger piece take?

Several months.

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

I’m most proud of my intuitive aesthetic sensibility, which guides me to create beautiful art, which then resonates with others. In this way, my art is not just about me, but about the relationship between me and those who feel inspired and uplifted when they view it. For me, this makes it a full circle. 

I’m proud to be a self-taught artist, experimental, innovative and willing to try new approaches and see where they lead me. I’m proud to use second-hand materials and give them new life, meaning and beauty. 

I’m also proud of my students and being given the opportunity to teach around the country, at various art schools and retreats. I love to share my techniques and inspire my students to work with these new methods to create their own stunning and unique pieces. Although my students within a particular workshop are all taught the same techniques as each other, I encourage them to each find their own way with the process, to make their own masterpieces, emerging from their own internal and external process. It’s always such a delight to see the variety and magnificence of what my students create.

Do you have any advice for aspiring textile artists?

I love inspiring others. I have a lecture I present to Fiber Art Guilds called “Going Beyond Where We’ve Been With Our Fiber Art.” The goal of this talk is to inspire artists to experiment, explore, and try new things. For example, take a piece of fabric and twist, tie, stretch, wrap, layer, cut new shapes and segments, combine it with something you’ve never combined it with, and overall – let yourself be free with the process.

~ I encourage all artists to trust your intuition, to go with what moves you, follow your gut, take action, and keep moving forward. If you feel stuck, find your own ways to keep going. This may be trying something completely different, taking a little break, working on another section of the piece, doing something physical to clear the mind, or getting out in nature. We all have our own way to refresh and restart in order to move beyond being stuck.

~ I also highly recommend the auditioning process, as I mentioned above. This involves choosing something from your stash, holding it up to your piece and deciding if you love it there, or not.

If you don’t love it, you can put it away for another project, or perhaps leave it nearby for later use in the current project. And, if it looks great through your eyes, and you love how it compliments and adds to the overall piece, then add it in, without hesitation.

~ Sometimes, you may have some pieces stashed away that are special or precious to you in some way, that you’ve been saving for that right project. I encourage using everything and anything you’ve got in your stash, even your favorite pieces, because the excitement and beauty of adding in something that’s special to you can propel you to make great work. Give yourself the gift of integrating those lovely fabrics and fibers you’ve been saving, and watch them come alive in your pieces.

~ Look at other art, not to copy it, but for inspiration. Allow yourself to resonate with what others are creating, embodying that collective spirit, and it will come out in your work, leading your pieces to resonate with those who view them.

~ Know when to hold and when to fold. For example, when you begin a piece, and it hasn’t really taken off yet, or reached a point of excitement for you yet, keep going, with perseverance, because it can take time for a piece to come alive. Keep adding, experimenting, auditioning, until you see your piece develop into something vibrant and alive.

At the same time, be willing to completely stop working on a piece if you’ve been trying and it’s just going nowhere, or even downhill, and nothing you’re doing is rescuing it. Let it go for now. You may come back to it, or not. You may use parts of it, or not.

~ Rather than being discouraged by a piece that didn’t work out for you, use it as a stepping stone and as a guide to inform what you’ll do and not do on your next pieces. Trust that this piece that didn’t come alive for you has a great chance of leading you to create next pieces that pop with life.

~ Be willing to take off/subtract what you’ve added. Even if something took some time to make and attach, if it’s no longer working for you, nor elevating the piece to where you want it to be, allow yourself to remove it, and perhaps save it for another project at another time.

~ Have fun and experience the delight of the creative process.

 Vicki teaches a wide range of online and in-person classes at schools, museums, retreats, with guilds and privately.

www.vickiart.com

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