Artist based in Oxford, England
Carmen Mardónez E, portrait of the artist
Tell us about yourself, what's your background?
I am originally from Chile where I studied History and a bit of art, and later did a master's degree in Community Psychology. Until 2017. I worked at a center for public policy, so basically I was not a professional artist by then. Although I learned to embroider in a traditional way at school, when I was little (at 10 years old or probably younger), it was only during the year 2015/2016 that I returned to embroidery. I did it almost as meditation, a way to decompress while writing my master's thesis. Victor Espinoza, a Chilean textile artist, showed me his freestyle technique one afternoon, and after that I began my own path of exploration, of embroidering without worrying about neatness but rather enjoying it as well as the use of color and movement in the work.
"I Dare", 2022, Textile installation, 30 hand embroidered bed sheets hanging from the ceiling; 15 x 12 x 15 feets aprox, Martin CoheN, NN.
Then, at the beginning of 2017, my partner got accepted into a PhD program in California and, along with that (without having planned it!), we realized that I was pregnant. Until then, my plan was to continue embroidery as a hobby, but I think it was the migration and motherhood that made me decide to become an artist. It may sound silly, but since we were going to leave our families, friends, and jobs behind, and live on a student's budget while having a child (which all felt very daunting and chaotic), I decided that I would do something crazy as well. Probably the craziest and most unlikely of all was dreaming that I could become an artist. But I put my heart on it. And here I am, 7 years later with the same dream, working hard to keep it alive and make it come true.
"Catching the sun", 2024, Textile sculpture on pillows and hand embroidered dead sheet with beads, rhinestones and rain boots, 28 x 32 x 19 inch, Manos Chatzikonstantis.
Maybe that's why I use discarded textiles from bedding. Probably they are the textiles that are physically closest to the moment we unconsciously face our unspoken dreams. Anyway, practically all my works are created from discarded sheets, duvets and/or pillows I got from friends and neighbors. It is also a means to create consciousness about textile waste. Textile waste is actually a major concern in the context of our environmental crisis, so even if it's a grain of sand, I try to contribute by turning a small part of it into art.
"I began my own path of exploration, of embroidering without worrying about neatness but rather enjoying it as well as the use of color and movement in the work."
Pinky Promise (with me for scale), 2022, Hand embroidery on discarded bed sheets, 10 x 22 feets, Angel Xotlanihua.
What are you currently working on and where did the inspiration for it come from?
Currently, and this is something totally new to me, I am exploring almost daily painting on the back of thrifted postcards with wax pastels. I guess there were two main reasons for this. One, more practical, is that it has taken me a long time to establish my studio in Oxford; I am still waiting for a place I rented to be ready, and most of my materials are not yet accessible, so I needed an alternative in the meantime. But second, and more importantly, I quickly felt that moving from Los Angeles to Oxford was a huge change that I needed to process, from the difference in weather and nature to the people I am meeting and missing. So, I decided that instead of processing all these first emotions and visual impressions through textiles and embroidery, I would do it by painting with wax pastels, since the medium allows me to do it at the speed that I feel I need at the moment (working with textiles being a very slow process). However, I am also happy that the date when my studio will be available is approaching because after months of painting in a small and fast format, I long to return once again to my embroidery even if that means that I will not be able to see results for a while.
Studio view, details
Innovation does not only happen in the field of technology — it occurs everyday in a creative practice. What do you do for inspiration?
After six years being a mom and artist living far from my family, I thought I knew how to do it. But one year ago I was annoyingly surprised at how badly I could manage moving to a different country for the second time. Maybe because we move during fall and the season change really affected me, plus that it was hard to find housing. I don’t know. I feel that after a year I’m just starting to feel that I'm back to myself again. And then new things keep happening in our family life, your kid keeps changing and old recipes stop working and you need to think on something new. Anyway, during this year I knew that I needed to keep creating.
Even if I needed to innovate in the format, or try a different medium, I knew that, for me, being able to create is as important as feeling loved. So I adapted to the new situation with a smaller and faster medium. For example, there are a lot of rainy days here, and one needs to really take advantage of the sunny ones (or even, the sunny time windows on a rainy day!). I can easily carry my pastels and some postals on my backpack, ready to sit and paint whenever I have a minute. I can do it while going for groceries, walking my dog, or going to pick up my son at school. For me, the ability to innovate is the ability to adapt to reality in order to accomplish what I most need.
Paintings, postcard size, 2024.
Describe your practice and process. Where do ideas start for you? In the studio or being in the world?
So far, the times I have had a dedicated studio space have been the times I have been in a residency. In LA I always worked in my living room and now when I am embroidering I have done it in my house. And the paintings are in my house or outdoors. Although my art is quite abstract, the color palette is always inspired by nature: sunsets, storms, the northern lights, etc. In Los Angeles I also got a lot of inspiration from Instagram and other people's photographs. Here in Oxford I feel that the visual stimulation, in terms of the available color palettes, is much greater. There are times when walking with Playa, our dog, I can paint 5 postcards. And so on. My cellphone is full of photos that I hope will serve as inspiration for future embroidery palettes too.
"IN/BETWEEN/NESS: Women Tales from Latin America", Somers Gallery, London, UK, Gonzalo Maggi (2024)
8. Group Show: "If still ourselves, a thing to become", Baik + Khneysser, Los Angeles, CA (2021)
How do you make your work, does it start with a sketch?
I would describe my work as “freestyle embroidery.” And obviously the “problem” with that is that it is extremely personal. At this point, I'm so used to doing it that for me it is extremely simple, it feels natural; however, when I have done workshops or worked with assistants for particular projects, I have realized that sometimes the fact that it is so free makes it more complicated for some people, because it makes it more difficult to replicate. For me it is basically intuition and having an eye for the use of color. I do not make a sketch before starting a work, whether it is 2D or sculpture. In general I choose an initial palette and prepare the colors. After that, I just start working. And I let the colors as well as the movement and shape of the work present themselves. When do I know if it is ready? Well, when I like it. How did I arrive at it? Practice makes the master. And I'm just starting.
"Majestic", 2024, Textile sculpture on pillows and hand embroidered duvet with beads and rhinestones, 44 x 32 x 27 inch, Manos Chatzikonstantis.
"Majestic" (details), 2024, Textile sculpture on pillows and hand embroidered duvet with beads and rhinestones, 44 x 32 x 27 inch, Manos Chatzikonstantis.
"IN/BETWEEN/NESS: Women Tales from Latin America", Somers Gallery, London, UK, Gonzalo Maggi (2024)8. Group Show: "If still ourselves, a thing to become", Baik + Khneysser, Los Angeles, CA (2021)
How will Innovate Grant contribute to your practice?
I really appreciate the support received by the Innovate Grant! It will help me a lot to pay the rent of my new studio, to buy some materials, and basically to keep practicing. We all know how difficult it is to live from the arts, and how frustrating and discouraging it can be. So finding someone that believes in your work and that is willing to back you up is not only incredibly important, but it can also make the difference between continuing working on your practice and giving up. So thank you so much!
Group Show: "If still ourselves, a thing to become", Baik + Khneysser, Los Angeles, CA (2021)
Stay up to date with Carmen Mardónez E
Website carmenmardonez.com
Instagram @desbordado