Stacey Page Artist Interview: Using Thread To Explore Ego & Avatar

As someone who embroiders, what’s your take on the whole art vs. craft debate?

It can be a way for one group of people to alienate another. As art or craft evolve in one’s work, they eventually demand each other.

How do you choose to identify yourself within those worlds?

I don’t choose to identify with either world. If someone wants to place my work in a typical art setting and title the show Craft, I figure it is all entertaining. Relating craft to skill, the closer I can define a work depends on the skill and the development of that skill. The ideal situation in my work is to be able to choose to call upon a skill, and to have the talent of ignoring another.

How do you choose the photographs that you work with?

The photographs start as a lost, discarded, or mortal identity. They choose me as I find them attractive in some way or another. It is the beginning of a relationship so naturally I want someone usually quite healthy and engaging.

What’s the relationship between the people in the photographs and the creatures that you adorn them with?

It can come from naturally occurring conflicts. One example would be the inner versus outer being. This conflict entails simple observations one might have about themselves regarding fashion, status, ego, and avatar.

STACEY PAGE INTERVIEW CONTINUED BELOW

Do you feel like you’re creating specific characters in response to the photographs, or are you drawing from a set pantheon that already exists for you?

Ideally I prefer a direct response or conversation with each photograph, and there is evidence of this throughout my work. However, I cannot ignore my mood and truths that are created and recreated throughout bodies of works.

Is the scale of your work a deliberate choice, or more a natural byproduct of medium and convenience?

The scale is convenient and it is rewarding. It is difficult for me to know when to stop with a work, and so larger is a lot more time consuming. I also generally feel that smaller work travels, hangs, and moves well with the creator and collector.

Have you ever worked on a larger scale?

I do work on a larger scale and currently it is an experiment.

What other mediums have you worked with?

I have worked with paint, clay, and wood.

Why have you settled on thread?

Thread is such an accessible medium. It isn’t too dangerous and I enjoy the portability with such little prep and clean time.

www.staceypage.com

Ω