Spotlight: Fuzzy Mall, Textile Artist

A cold winter was all it took for Fuzzy Mall to become a self-taught quilter – fibers don’t freeze. Using one-off fabrics sourced from thrift stores, Fuzzy works in a series. He’s not afraid to take a look at earlier work and cut it up to make new pieces.

How did you get started making fiber art? Why did you choose that medium?

My transition from a self-taught painter into a self-taught quilter started from something I couldn’t control.

The weather was the catalyst for my work in appliqué. One winter’s day, I went out to my studio (a detached cinder block garage with a dirt floor) to find all of my paints and stains to be frozen solid.

Unable to paint, I made something for myself and hand-stitched a simple three-colour design of James Brown onto the back of a hooded sweatshirt. The piece was simple but striking. I got a lot of positive feedback, so I began making more hoodies on the side.

Over the next few years, I made about 50 different ones for friends. I was teaching myself new techniques, sewing, tightening my craftsmanship, and incorporating more colours and layers. Eventually, my interest in fabric superseded painting, and I’ve focused solely on textiles for about seven years.  

Do you do series work? How does that affect your approach?

I’ve always worked in a series. I’m sure it stems from my work in painting. Working in a series allows me to resolve any new technical challenges while also pushing the boundaries I’ve set for myself. Every series has set parameters that I must work within to keep the works consistent enough to show together.  

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

I’ve always worked in a vacuum and taught myself my technique, so I’m not sure if I’m the only one out there who does one particular thing differently from other portrait quilters or not.

One thing that I can’t recall anyone doing is satin stitching their entire works. None of my edges are left raw. It is far more time and material-consuming, but I use it as an opportunity to incorporate a new line in my work.

I am pushing more colour and vibrancy. I always say that my work is made from thrift store clothes and patience. Those two things help separate my work from others as well. Using one-off fabrics, I constantly refresh my palette and look for new solutions. My patience allows me to look for every minute detail in each piece.

What motivates you artistically?

I have to always be making.

There are too many ideas in my head that I want to see become reality. Always a new concept that I want to explore.

My problem is that I need more time to create them; that’s why I spend at least a few hours every day in my studio.

Life is fickle and random. None of us know when our time is up. I had a brain hemorrhage last fall, which was a real reminder of this.

I want to break new ground in the quilting/textile world. I want people to see my work and reconsider their notions of what a quilt is and can become.

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

I plan my series out before hand. I tend to search for new forms and rules to break in each one.

Piece to piece within a series is not planned out. The past few years I’ve been deconstructing my pieces more and more, cutting into the works, peeling the surfaces away to expose the backside of the work, and joining them to the front.

I intentionally never plan what I’ll expose. I treat this as my version of firing a kiln. My favorite part of making is in ceramics, the joy and anticipation of opening a kiln to see what you’re getting.

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

I do have several sketchbooks floating around my studio at any given time, but they’re not filled with drawings. Most of the pages are covered in notes and loose scribbles of thoughts about my work or where I want it to go.

I use photographs as the base of my work, so a sketch isn’t always needed. I occasionally sketch more on pieces that will be cut up and transitioned into their second lives. Most of the time, I just use my mind to deconstruct and move parts around.

Describe your creative space.

It’s a crazy mess. Chaos brings me peace. I find it challenging to be in a sterile environment, let alone work in it.

My studio consists of 2 rooms in my basement. My sewing room is just full of tables that I can move around. It also has a corked wall that I can pin up works-in-progress.

I piece my work in my other room at a bench and 4’x8′ table. You must dig through three feet of fabric to see the floor. Both rooms, are lined with open shelving with piles of cloth bursting out of them.

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

I start a new project the day after I finish one. I’m always moving forward.

I occasionally have a few on the go, but this is only if my machine is in the shop. Every work has a specific palette, so once I’ve dialed in on that, I like to stay in that zone until it is ready to be sewn down. My portraits contain countless parts, so it’s best for me to do one at a time.

Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?

As I mentioned, I always work in a series, with my limitations set upon it, so formally, they are consistent. That being said, I just finished a small series of works that were only thematically linked. The project, generously funded by The Canada Council for the Arts and The Ontario Arts Council (thanks again), was focused on physical, digital, and emotional masks. This project allowed me to play around and make a few pieces that didn’t have to resemble one another.  

When thinking of different aspects of masks, I kept returning to camouflage and wanted to explore that aspect. Cephalopods came to mind first. They are all the masters of changing their appearance. I haven’t rendered many animals before, so I was contemplating how to incorporate them into a piece. So one night, I’m assuming, after a healthy dose of cannabis, I came up with the idea of creating a giant octopus wrapping around a head and camouflaging into it. 

This was one of those pieces that I just wanted to see. I was setting up a massive challenge for myself. Could I pull it off?

Since this piece would incorporate an animal, I contacted Janine Heschl. Janine is one of my Instagram pals and fellow textile artist. She’s the best thread painter that I can think of. Her subject matter tends to be endangered species, leading her to work with the Jane Goodall Foundation. Janine is one of my favourite textile artists. Although I don’t thread paint, her work informs mine. Whenever I feel like I have finished piecing a quilt, I think about her work, then spend another 10 to 20 hours finding as many minute details I’ve missed before I start sewing. I’m always trying to achieve her level of intensity.

Janine lives in Vienna, Austria, so this was the only time I used someone else’s source photo. I had her send me some images to choose from. Janine’s piece was the largest that I’ve worked on, so I wanted to alter my approach to rendering it. 

I typically construct my work with applique, meaning I’m building up the surface in layers. I had been playing around with reverse applique in the past few pieces, incorporating more and more. For this portrait, I did the entire face utilizing this method. Reverse applique means I’m placing a base layer down; the subsequent layers are cut and pieced to expose this base layer. I chose to do this on the larger face because it allowed me to render the pores of Janine’s face. I am breaking up the larger planes by adding more texture, color and detail.

I was required to spend a long time figuring out how to construct this quilt. Since I’ve never seen an octopus wrap its body around one of my friend’s faces, this is the first work that didn’t 100% come from a photographic source. I did 5 or 6 large drawings of octopi before landing on this one that I used as a guide. I initially thought that I would construct the entire octopus in layers of sheer fabric to keep some of Janine’s face exposed through the tentacles. I had to change my plan of attack. I started with different layers of sheers, then covered those with similar coloured fabrics, and then cut into them utilizing reverse applique in this layer as well. I also added extensions off the head to make it appear like the tentacles were reaching around the head. 

Lastly, I added shadows to give more depth to the octopus’s body. This is one of those pieces that I could probably spend another year trying to refine, but I decided to move on. The hardest part is trying to balance rendering the octopus’s form and wanting it to disappear via camouflage.  

Does your work have stories to tell?

My work is interaction-driven. I get to know my subjects as I photograph them. I’ve always been able to read a person pretty well, so I try to choose my source photograph that captures the subject’s essence.

How has your work changed over time?

I am constantly pushing and challenging myself to achieve a level of realism that, honestly, is not attainable in this medium. Over the years, my work has gotten more intense and technical as I’m creating new techniques to try to reach this imaginary standard I have in my head. While striving for that, I’m searching for new forms and rules to break in each series I do. It’s fun. 

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

I’m still friendly with my elementary school art teacher, so a while back now.

What traits, if any, do you think that creative people have as compared to people who are not creative? 

It is abstract thinking and the acceptance and practice that there is always more than one way to find a solution to a problem. The whole ‘thinking outside the box’ thing is super cliched, but there’s a lot truth to it.  

Where can people see your work?

Currently, I have a solo show at the CoWork Gallery in the Cotton Factory, Hamilton, Ontario. The exhibition consists of 23 pieces over the last five series of work, including some new ideas about form that have been percolating in my head for a little while now. That show will be on display through the new year.

I also have a piece that’s travelling with FiberArt International ’22. It is currently hanging at the Fort Collins Museum of Art in Colorado. You can find me online at www.quiltedportrait.net (although I do need to update my website). The best way to follow my progress is through Instagram. I am @quiltedportrait, so hit me up there if you have any questions or comments.