Artist Profile: Kristin La Flamme

Kristin La Flamme
Charlottesville, VA http://www.kristinlaflamme.com
1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words: Conceptually driven narratives in fiber
2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it? I am regularly drawing the figure in pencil and charcoal. It helps me keep my drawing and observation skills sharp.
3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world? I am looking forward to showing my Army Wife series at Campbell House Galleries in NC summer 2015. I'm also working on a series of Security Blankets, which I hope to show next year.
4.  Do you have any studio rituals? I write down my day's goals before I start each morning.
5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey? My father has always been my art and design guru, and I am grateful for the inspiration, support, and friendship of my circle of fiber art friends. My artistic inspirations are diverse, from the WWI posters of Ludwig Hohlwein, to Chuck Close's interplay of realism and abstraction. I find it hard to narrow my inspiration down to just a few as I try to soak everything in and let it filter into my work in mysterious ways.
6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without? My thimble, my seam ripper, my beloved Bernina, my sketchbook, and the internet!
7.  What is on your design table right now? My security blanket series.
8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  I'm not sure that I do! Some days family and friends win, some days I hole myself up in my room to work. I often feel like I'm not serving either in the fullest way possible.
9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)? My radio (tuned to NPR) and my geriatric cat.
10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections? Once I had the idea of creating a pixelated image using all the fabrics in my stash, there was no way of knowing if it would work or not until I jumped in and started. I was afraid that the diverse fabrics would muddy the image, so it was a great relief to see the face emerge so vibrantly.