Evelyn Politzer creates visual art using a variety of techniques to transform materials into her works, including knitting, embroidery, crochet, and weaving – all of which have long histories and traditions.
How did you find yourself on an artist’s path?
Being an artist doesn’t feel like a choice I made. It feels rather like an ingrained way of being. I realized that I was serious about pursuing art as a professional career when I would constantly daydream about what to make. On nights when I can’t sleep, I stay up thinking about art- things that inspire me, things I want to make.
When I was college-aged I wanted to study art and architecture, but because of the political state of my home country I went to Law School instead. Every time I would move to a new country I would have to restart my law career from scratch. I felt that life was giving me a push to follow my true passion. When I finally moved to the US I could officially study Art, and pursued my Masters of Fine Art in Visual Arts.
When was the first time that you remember realizing that you are a creative person?
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I was exposed to all sorts of art classes from a very early age. I am the middle one of three sisters. Growing up, I was always given the label of “the creative one.”
What different creative media do you use in your work?
My practice has roots in my native land of Uruguay, a country where sheep outnumber human inhabitants, and where wool and other natural fibers continue to be an essential tool for people’s livelihood, especially women. The relationship between the fibers I work with and the place where I was born evokes the comfort of belonging, no matter where I am in the world.
The techniques I use to transform these materials are knitting, embroidery, crochet, and weaving all of which have long histories and traditions. I adapt the techniques as a jumping off point to experiment. For example, “painting with yarn,” or “free-form weaving,” which are methods I have developed in my studio. At the same time, I am always trying to learn established techniques such as wet felting, which I did a lot of in 2023 to prepare for a huge installation at the Fort Lauderdale Airport.
Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
Oftentimes, the inspiration comes from the materials themselves, or from what current topic I want to communicate. The basis of my work is playing with materials and through that allowing my mind to make connections.
For example, my series “Free Spirit” started when I was saving remnants of yarn and realizing that I didn’t want to waste them. I began applying the scrap yarn onto fabric in different arrangements and they grew to become 3 massive colorful pieces. One piece informs the next as the possibilities and ideas branch off intuitively.
Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?
I have a sketchbook for small preliminary drawings, but I mostly gain momentum and insight by creating small physical samples of new ideas or techniques and hanging them all over my studio. I see what works best, then tweak and expand to make the large scale works.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time? How do you make time for creating? Do you try to create daily?
As a full-time artist I get to work daily on my creations. My brain does not allow me to work on one thing at a time. I jump from project to project, back and forth until they are completed and sent out.
My studio, and practice, can seem disorganized, but it is a structured mess I understand what facilitates my freedom and play while still making the best use of my time. I always joke that I am working hard toward my PhD, Projects Half-Done.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
Some of my most constant inspirations have been womanhood and motherhood, which I depict with breasts. Many series have come from this topic, including “BFF- Breast Friends Forever,” “Free to Hang,” and “Women’s Spring.”
“BFF” started as a healing process for me to grasp the loss of my mother to breast cancer at a very young age, by knitting and crocheting breast sculptures. Even if your own breasts can kill you, we need to make friends with them forever. I used a wide spectrum of colors, shapes, and textures to show the diversity of our bodies and the complexity of our relationship to them.
As mentioned earlier, one piece can lead to another. When making a breast for “BFF,” it accidentally grew longer than planned as the material stretched out. I accepted this with a sense of humor about the reality of our bodies aging, but with that gaining a sense of freedom. This piece became “Free to Hang.”
Another use of light-hearted, yet earnest humor is “Women’s Spring,” in which the knitted breasts were mounted onto repurposed mattress springs. I used this as a metaphor for my desire for women to be propelled forward in art, politics, science, and all fields of life. I like that they also look like a punch with a breast instead of a fist.
Is there an overarching theme that connects all of your work? Does your work have stories to tell?
The overarching theme of my work is our interconnection with nature, and the need to care for it. Often I talk about Mother Nature as a force to be respected.
My series “Treehuggers,” clearly communicates this veneration for nature in a way that I hope is infectious to the viewer. These outdoor sculptures came to be when I saw a grove of mango trees in my neighborhood torn down to make way for a new construction. Seeing this, I realized that not everyone held the trees to the same value as me. My job as an artist is to bring attention to subjects people might ignore otherwise.
The plea for interconnectedness with nature is also shown in my large-scale fiber installation “Every Drop Counts.” These drops were knit or crocheted. Some of them have been embroidered with red veins as if real blood is flowing through them, trying to portray water as having human life and the preciousness that this brings.
Where can people see your work?
My website: evelynpolitzer.com
My Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/evelynpolitzer/
My studio is in Miami, Florida
Interview posted October 2024
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