Spotlight: Andrea Alonge, Fiber Artist

Andrea Alonge creates unique shapes and 3D works with a mixture of new and vintage textiles and other elements. Look closely at her work and you’ll see her personal touches of hand quilting, embroidery, beading, and more.

How did you find yourself on an artist’s path? Always there? Lightbulb moment? Dragged kicking and screaming? Evolving?

I grew up with parents who were very creative, who made furniture and textiles, and crafted household items. I was always encouraged to work with my hands and make things.

When I was in high school in a ceramics class, my teacher took a look at a sculpture I was working on and said “you might want to consider going to college for art”, and my world opened up. I did end up going to school initially for ceramics, and then switched to textiles along the way.

When was the first time that you remember realizing that you are a creative person? 

I was eight and during a free afternoon, I started making a miniature room for dolls using cardboard boxes and other items from around the house. I didn’t really care about the dolls themselves but was very interested in creating an environment for them, making the table and chairs in the room, figuring out what the carpet would be, etc. I became very immersed in this task and how good I felt while I was working with my hands, and I just never stopped.

What different creative media do you use in your work?

I primarily use textiles and textile processes in my work, like quilting, embroidery, beading, and three-dimensional fabric construction. I really enjoy working with materials that I find secondhand, especially unconventional items like plastic chain or costume fabric. My work has elements of collage, but really, anything textile-related eventually finds its way into my work.

What do you do differently? What is your signature that makes your work stand out as yours?

I think my affinity for color/ pattern association is one of my strong signatures. I often use patterns that are totally different when they are apart, but look almost the same when put together, and I love the textural associations that can be made between, say, vintage upholstery fabric and sparkly vinyl, or faux fur and terrycloth.

I also feel that because we associate textiles heavily with square shapes (similar to painting as a medium!), my work with non-square/ rectangular forms and breaking out of the “box” of the quilt is something that is uniquely my work. My use of different materials like fringe, chain, and other unlikely objects also sets my work apart in a contemporary textile space.

Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?

I love to pick up books with different patterns or symbols, and I often will draw from different sources.

On my studio table now, I have an illustrated book of Euclid theorems, a pictorial symbol book from the 50s, and a book of Japanese optical illusions. I usually start with a base idea, and then gradually add layers or complexity to my shapes. This complexity and these layers often come from the fabric I’m using, where I will see a pattern that I love and work it into my shapes.

I also sometimes work from a “theme” or an idea of what I want the shape to do, such as with this new body of work I am creating using the idea of portals as a theme, with some technical tricks as a common thread as well. I am currently thinking about mesh overlays, and how to play with shadows and dimension in the work.

Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in with your materials and start playing?

I think for me, it’s a mix of both.

I have a general idea in mind, and the materials then inform the work and how it evolves. Sometimes a stripe will lead to more stripes, or I’ll find two colorways of a similar fabric, and ideas for dimensional work will pop into my head.

I am very inspired by the material, but I also am constantly looking at the environment around me, noticing the shapes of doorways in buildings, or seeing a particular graphic on a sign that I tweak for my own purposes.

How do you manage your creative time? Do you schedule start and stop times? Or work only when inspired?

I actually switched to textile work because I could start working when I felt like it and stop when I had to, without a lot of setup or breakdown of tools and equipment. I work in a home studio, which makes it easiest for me to work in bits and pieces.

I have a full-time job in another industry but have always carved out one full day a week to spend in my studio so I can have the freedom to make a mess. Mondays are studio days. But I don’t necessarily plan a start or stop time. I do forget to eat while I’m in my studio, though, so my partner helps by breaking up my time with meals!

I also have a few projects going at once, and I like to have at least one piece at a stage where I am working by hand, so I can switch between using my sewing machine and making handwork.

Describe your creative space.

I have a home studio that is set up in a way that allows me freedom of movement through my space, with everything organized so I can see it and access it easily. I need my space to be clean when I start working, it’s something about having a blank slate.

I have a lot of art on the walls, but not necessarily my own, and I like having a colorful studio. I also like to work alone for the most part, and while I do listen to music, during my initial brainstorming/ layout session I usually prefer quiet.

Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?

I use a sketchbook to keep track of ideas, patterns, and technical tricks that I want to use in future work. Sometimes a certain shape will pop up in the middle of the night, and I like to have those kinds of things drawn out or written down to refer to when I’m able to work.

I don’t lean heavily on my sketchbook or needing to have something fully drawn out before I make it, but I do like to keep track of ideas.

How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?

I do work on more than one project at a time because it’s nice to have work that can be made in different ways or during different times.

I do a lot of machine quilting, but I also heavily embellish my works by hand, and it’s helpful for me to be able to come home from my job and spend an hour or so hand-quilting a portion of a piece. I have a lot of ideas, and I like to get new work started, even if I don’t come back to it for several weeks after the process has begun.

I want to be able to have the flexibility to always enjoy what I’m doing, and have options to choose from.

Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?

I really love the handwork part of my process. I feel like building the initial work is more challenging from a design/ imagination standpoint, but the creative flow I get into when I’m embellishing a work is very meditative and helpful for me on a personal level.

I love sitting at my studio table and tying a thousand small knots, or carefully hand-quilting each stripe of a work. It’s amazing to see it all come together at the end.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

I had a professor in graduate school at Cranbrook who told me to make work I really liked, and if someone didn’t understand the work, that it wasn’t for them.

I am receptive to feedback, and I think carefully about my work and why I am making it, and why I am making the conceptual decisions I choose, but sometimes there are people who really don’t get the work, and that’s ok! The work isn’t for them, in the end, it’s for me. I’m my own boss in my practice, and I make the decisions I feel most aligned with, regardless of what others think about the work.

How have other people supported or inspired you?

My partner is so supportive, probably my biggest cheerleader. I have been really inspired and supported by my artist community here in Portland, and I am very grateful to be part of a great artist-run gallery here, WellWell Projects. We have so many excellent artists here whose work is amazing, and I’m constantly impressed by the work my fellow community members are doing. I think having a community has been necessary for me in a lot of ways, and I try hard to be a good community member and pass on that support!

Where can people see your work?

www.andreaalonge.com and @andreaalonge on Instagram!