Artist Profile: Kristin La Flamme

Kristin La Flamme

Portland, Oregon

1. What kind of challenges did this theme present to you? With room for such broad interpretation, I had to consider which direction would be most authentic for me -- did I want to focus on the graffiti aspect, or the personal aspect? I suppose setting myself the parameters of using only materials and themes I have used before could be considered a challenge, but to me it was the driving force of the piece. I enjoy the puzzle of making do with what I have at hand.

2. Describe your studio space? I work in what was intended as a "Family Room." It's large enough for me to have storage shelves, tables for both my sewing machine and my computer, plus a large cutting table/work area. The best part is that it's a dedicated studio space and I don't need to clear out when guests arrive or dinner is ready.

3. Where can people see your work in the next six months? My tessellated gun quilt, 'Murica, is on view with Quilt National '15 until October 10, 2017 at the Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, MN; "Death Shroud for Democracy" is on tour with SAQA's Layered Voices exhibit and will next be at Oklahoma State University Museum of Art, Stillwater, OK, May 1- August 18, 2018. The Gallery tab on my website is always a good place to look for the widest range of my work: https://kristinlaflamme.com
 

4. Do you ever work in a series?  If so, what benefits or challenges does this present to you as an artist? Yes, I usually do work in a series, or at least a pretty straightforward trajectory. It's impossible to address all of one's desires in one piece, so a series allows the maker to try theme and variation. Some series are short lived, but I return to others in one way or another for years.

5. What other activities do you engage in that “feed” your creative energy? I enjoy drawing, especially from a live model, but recently I bought a fixer-upper house and have been spending all my creative energies working on it. Of course, pretty and intriguing images on Pinterest and Instagram always feed me as well.