Jason Kriegler
I HAVE A DEEP INTEREST IN THE STORIES, APPLICATION, MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES, WHICH, FOR MANY YEARS, HAVE BEEN TOLD THROUGH TEXTILES AND THE PEOPLE THAT CREATE THEM. CURRENTLY LIVING AND WORKING IN MEXICO CITY, ORIGINALLY FROM MIAMI FLORIDA. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELLEN CHRISTINA HANCOCK AND COURTESY OF THE ARTIST @JASONKRIEGLER WWW.JASONKRIEGLER.COM
I have always been a creator of some sort, painting came naturally, working with traditional ideas and abstract forms, using paint and canvas. Ultimately, through the years working with found objects and mixed media; non-traditional ideas. I have a deep interest in the stories, application, materials and techniques, which, for many years, have been told through textiles and the people that create them.
The historical nature of man-made things from different regions, tribes or villages, which create such unique, multi-purpose and intricate pieces. Men and women contributing to create unique original works told through the making of a textile. Ceremonial, everyday use, wearables, trade or decoration. Shapes, patterns, colour and ideas unfold through the creation of textiles.
My work is a contemporary interpretation of textiles from the past, using dark and light organic, biological forms, as well as abstract exteriors, but can also be experienced purely as combinations of shapes, line and texture. Despite their simplicity, they have a captivating quality that rewards careful looking, revealing the complexity and fragility of contemporary works, hand embroidered into paper and linen, enlivened by a sense of depth that only seems to grow with continued examination.
Hand-embroidered contemporary works on paper and linen. My works are informed by historical textiles throughout the world, understanding the techniques, forms, purpose and usage, which ultimately become visual stories from my encounters.
I work directly on found paper or parts of fabric, painting them using sumi ink or acrylic paints, using shape, line and form. Cardboard, cut canvas or linen, cut paper, which then informs the embroidery. Creating collages that are inspired by my travels throughout the world; Africa, India, South America, Mexico, etc. I call them Symbolic Totems.
I start by randomly painting, working directly on cut/found parts, which is the “base”, then layering with different materials. I have no pre-determined idea, I just emote a feeling or encounter from a trip. Then when the work gets to a certain point, it informs me of the embroidery.
What motivates me is that I see this art market so saturated, there are a lot of “artists” out there, differentiating yourself is the motivator for me. Hand embroidered paper, collages.
I work on multiple works at a time, and the embroidery process can take months to complete. My studio allows me to see current works in progress, which reveal themselves. The studio is meditative.
Art is a reaction. An enabler. A cathartic release.
