What neighborhood do you live in?
Logan Square.

Can you tell us about it?
I live walking distance to Palmer Square Park and the 606 path which has been wonderful during the spring and summer months. I can go running or biking everyday, and this has helped me to get to know the neighborhood better. There are also several restaurants and cafes nearby so even though the neighborhood feels quiet and residential, there are so many places to go and visit.

Does your art reflect your neighborhood or does your neighborhood otherwise inspire you?
I would say my neighborhood plays a role in my work. I produce work that often draws on my daily life and the physical environments I live in- so definitely certain street names in Logan Square or the flora and fauna appear abstractly in my practice.

When did you start creating?
I started at a pretty early age when I was about 10 or 11. My mother realized early on that my sister and I naturally gravitated towards drawing, painting, and art class when we were growing up. She decided that we needed an outlet to be creative and have fun, but that was also economical for my parents. They had immigrated to the US  and were still struggling to learn the language and make enough money to support our family. So my mother made sure we took every opportunity for public art classes in the city.   She later supported me to continue studying art as I progressed to middle school, high school and eventually college. The arts-focused high school I attended in Miami, New World School of the Arts, was incredibly life-changing and helped me figure out what I would do when I got older. I am very thankful that my mother encouraged me to do this.

Where do you work in the city—where is your studio, if applicable?
My studio is in East Garfield Park, the Carroll Arts Building. I also have a home studio in my Logan Square apartment, which is where I do much of my drawing, embroidery and stitch work.

How does the city impact you personally and artistically?
I believe that both worlds have melded together, my art practice and personal life. I never thought Chicago would be a Home to me, but over the years, it has definitely grown on me. There are usually so many events, art openings, activities, and places I want to visit and see in Chicago but I never have enough time to go to everything on my list. This is a good problem to have. It’s also a great place to have a big studio, an active practice, an opportunity to meet friends, colleagues and mentors. These individuals have supported and inspired me to seek out opportunities that have pushed my practice to the next level. I definitely feel like I have a community that I belong to and want to support, make better.

How would you describe your subject matter and your aesthetic?
I consider how different environments impact my understanding and fragmentation of identity and place, specifically through the lens of a first generation US citizen moving between Costa Rica, Miami, Chicago and abroad. My aesthetic is layered and repetitiveJ I usually spend a few months accumulating sketch book drawings and doodles, sun prints, printed ephemera, and small sculpted objects to generate additional imagery that later become inspiration for my woven works. I trace, scan, and collage drawings and sun prints OVER and OVER again until the end result is miles away from the original image. The form becomes lost and difficult for even myself to decipher where the mark initially came from. The process is destructive while also generative… once I pull apart and fracture my imagery, I immediate feel a need to reconstruct the picture through a mode of weaving. I’ll weave multi-colored, synthetic and natural yarns together, stitch over them, dip them in dye or wax, tear them apart and then patch them back together, melt plastics into other plastics, embroidery on top of them or tape over the whole thing, peel the tape off and dip the fabric in an indigo vat, and then eventually stop when the piece “feels done”.  The work is loud and colorful and usually contain bands or streaks of neon colors.

Can you describe your artistic practice?
I am an artist who works between the media of drawing, painting, and textiles. I was born in Miami Florida but have lived in Chicago for several years. My parents immigrated to the US from Costa Rica and I spent most of our childhood traveling back and forth between Miami and Central America. I have always had a need to reflect on my movements and memories of these two vastly different environments and cultures. This interest has lead me to explore how my experiences through the scope of a first-generation American impacts my understanding of identity and home. I make artwork that draws on the accumulation of family memories and histories, keep sakes, trinkets, cheap domestic ephemera like decorative plastic table cloths, plastic fruits and dollies, to develop new hybrid landscapes that are woven and stitched topographies. By employing materials that have a relationship to domestic spaces — the home, the kitchen, the family room, my textile works twist assumptions on how we perceive decorative patterns, kitsch imagery, and cheap, domestic consumable materials. These printed plastics and woven cloths often used for cheap décor in the home, have the ability to take on a different cultural status that disconnects them from their intended home and function, and leads me to an otherworldly setting and environment.

Who or what inspires or influences you today?
I just started teaching at the School of the Art Institute- a Stitch focused course- and I've been incredibly inspired by the subject matter as well as the individual students in the class. As I develop the class syllabus, I try and pinpoint all the skills and techniques I'd like to share, as well as some things I'd love to know more about (like quilting or batik fabric dyeing). Some of these lessons fall back into my own studio practice and make me reconsider the modes and means in which I create my own work. It has also been inspiring to give feedback and advice to young artists who are trying to navigate school life, the art world, and Chicago as a whole.  As for who is inspiring me right now: Ebony Patterson

How do you describe Chicagoans character?
Tough. Rain, hail or polar vortex doesn't seem to keep people indoors for long  Is there a Chicago work ethic and if so, how does that apply to the art world in Chicago? Chicago has made it possible/affordable for me to have a designated studio space and I believe for many other artists in the city as well. This plays a huge impact on having a dedicated and professional art practice, which is why I think Chicago has so many talented and hardworking artists who are seeking as many opportunities within and outside the city to exhibit and make their work. I've seen several artists take over storefronts or open up apartment galleries, projects spaces, pop-ups, lecture or workshop venues- these happenings and opportunities are not so attainable everywhere. I also think it has a bit to do with the nature of the midwest. Having been originally from Miami, Florida I was shocked at how nice people were here in Chicago, even amongst strangers. This spreads into the art community and makes everyone very supportive and eager to connect.

When creating, do you create in silence or do you have music to motivate you? If so, what do you like to listen to?
Music is a MUST! You will probably never see me in my studio without a pair of headphone on... I like listening to music that is upbeat so I can stay energized and motivated if I'm planning to spend a big chunk of time in the studio- dance, pop, hip hop

What does creating do for you personally?
Creating helps calm me and gives me a sense of completeness. I make artwork to feel more in tune with myself, my personal life, my loved ones, my home, my culture, it's a rush and there are always a dozen ideas bouncing around in my head that need a physical outlet or incarnation. I always look forward to being in my studio, experimenting with tools and materials, or getting immersed in whatever project is coming up for a deadline. I love learning about new skills and material histories so my studio practice fuels that need and keeps me from getting bored with the day-to-day.