Artist Profile: Andi Perejda

Andi Perejda

Arroyo Grande, CA

www.andiperejda.com

1. Did the change in dimensions present any specific challenges for you?  Or if this is your first time with us, how did you like the size? The forty-inch-square format is one in which I frequently work.   It provides enough area to present a sense of depth on a 2-dimensional surface.

2. Describe your design area, specifically your work table:  what is the best thing about it? My design area is an eight foot square wall and my work space is the extension on my sewing table.  While working on the wall, I am able to step back to look at design choices and to take snapshots. I wish I had more work table space.

3. What set this quilt apart from other recent projects you have been working on? I created the fabric and the basis of the design for We Are Stardust using an ice dyeing technique.  To draw the viewer’s eye into the stellar nursery, I added carefully placed embellishments such as illusion, angelina fibers, beads and pearls.  It is a new piece in a series I have made that are inspired by Hubble or Cassini photos in space. 

4. When you get “stuck” how do you deal with a “design block”?  How do you overcome it? I overcome design blocks by stepping away from the work for a time.  Somehow, in the back of my mind, ideas seem to formulate themselves on ways to take the next step! 

5. Do you work on single or multiple projects at the same time? I frequently work on more than one piece at a time.  Cross-pollination of ideas and techniques to use while doing this are useful.

6. What do you hope people take away from your work? I hope my work inspires a sense of the small size of man’s place in the universe.  The vastness of space and the elements from which life evolved are truly incredible.  There is so much to learn.

7. What are the best parts of working on an art quilt:  What are your least favorite parts? I enjoy dyeing and printing on fabrics in a variety of ways.  The difficult part is always deciding what to include, how much to include and when to stop!

8. What art/quilt-related organizations do you belong to? I am a member of SAQA, Northern and Southern California, Fibervision in Goleta, CA and also the Cutting Edge group in San Luis Obispo, CA.

9. Do you have a preferred color palette?  Why? I don’t prefer one color palette over another.  I enjoy seeing how colors affect one another when placed together.  I do find that, over time, I tend to work with certain colors.  Mood and age probably play into these preferences.

10. What do you regard as your most interesting milestones along your art journey? Since my work is not limited to art quilts, I try to incorporate my quilt-making skills into my art pieces.  I do return to making quilts from time to time, as the process I use is mostly handwork.  The most notable encouragement I have had in creating fabric art was winning First Place in Art Quilt, Naturescapes at IQF in 2005.  That piece, Branching Out, then travelled to Lyon, France for Quilt Expo and was a finalist in the $100K Quilting Challenge in 2007.