photo by becker
Maddie Zerkel is such a pleasure to converse with. She has one of the most amiable personalities that I've encountered, and she will pretty much say whatever thought crosses her mind, so I was delighted to conduct this interview with her in the hopes of garnering her typical, unfiltered (and occasionally farcical) responses.
It is no surprise that Maddie's laid-back disposition, like many other artists, is prevalent in her work. She addresses her craft the way that she appears to approach life: moment to moment, pushing forward, and infusing her fabrics with whatever mood strikes her without overanalyzing the reasoning behind its inception. Maddie's ability to revel in the inevitable imperfections of creating art is, no doubt, what has allowed her to amass a body of work brimming with idiosyncratic talent.
I chatted with Maddie about the practice of weaving, how she spends a day in the studio, and how she makes fabric tell a story!
PASTEL: Introduce yourself!
MZ: Hi! My name is Maddie, and I'm just trying to live life as graciously, creatively, and happily as possible.
PASTEL: Do you come from a line of artists? Was there ever a time that you thought you'd pursue a different career, and if so, what was it?
MZ: My family has a wide field of interests. Everybody is creative in his or her own way, but I was fortunate to grow up with a very talented musician and a handful of extremely supportive people. My father plays tuba (which, on paper, is on of the weirder career paths), so my family has always been very gung-ho about me pursuing my dreams. I honestly never even thought about what I wanted to be growing up. When I became interested in art, though, I knew it was something I would practice forever.
PASTEL: So, you're a Fabric Design Major, but you have a multitude of talents (including illustration). What drew you to choose fabric design as your focus?
MZ: Fabric is an extremely versatile field. It can be strictly design, strictly studio art, or a blend of both on a very wide spectrum. I didn't really understand what I liked to do when the time came to choose what I wanted to study, so I was very drawn to this blend of art and design.
Traditionally, fabric and textiles are very accessible and the majority of people don't appreciate how much time and effort goes into something they see all day, everyday. Now that I'm almost two years in, I realize that fabric is such a good fit for me because I love learning the processes and returning to historical ways of creating no matter how time consuming they are. And I do still love to learn all other things!
Illustrating, printmaking, and painting have always piqued my interest, so I practice combining these things with my textiles. If only there was a general "let's learn every medium" major—I would stay in school for 20 years to graduate with that degree.
PASTEL: How would you describe your artwork? What mediums do your prefer to work with, and have you noticed any reoccurring themes in your work?
MZ: Oof, this is a tough question. I feel so silly talking about my work because I'm still in the earliest stages of my artistic life, and I have so much left to learn. Creating has become a cathartic experience for me over the past two years. Even if my work makes little-to-no-sense, the recurring theme tends to be very personal to my anxieties. I love to highlight the processes that I'm using (like weaving) by incorporating and juxtaposing a lot of texture, pattern, and color.
I haven't really delved into a deep concept (I feel it stirring inside of me though) because my priority is to clear my mind and complete the project as if I am taking a deep breath. Right now, my artwork is a very personal thing for me; I make purely for myself with little consideration of how my peers will accept it. This can be a beautiful thing and a very frustrating thing at the same time. As far as my favorite medium goes, I love weaving. It's incredibly time consuming, back-breaking, and meditative. I think weaving is closely tied to ceramics (another one of my favorites) because, forgive if this is corny: every single mark/thread is like a heartbeat, or a pulse, of something living.
PASTEL: Can you talk about your work process as well? What does a regular day in the studio look like for you?
MZ: Well, weaving, seventy percent of the time, drives me insane. I could spend all day in front of the loom and get two or three inches done successfully. My studio day includes a lot of derping around. I wander aimlessly. I go for long walks. I drink a lot of coffee. I sketch. I listen to podcasts. I goof off with my distracting classmates. I make pervy jokes. I tell myself that I deserve to go get donuts because "I'm working hard". I paint. I get frustrated and restart my project. I collage. I hoard magazine images. Etcetera.
This is something that I can really thrash myself for—it is really hard to spend all of your time at the studio and feel as though you aren't being productive. I think it is just unfortunately the way weaving goes for me. Sometimes it just clicks, and other times it can be a very distracting art form. Because it is a naturally very quiet and very, very slow moving process, eating to the state of calm and focus that I need to be in to thrive can be almost impossible.
"Being inside this weird dream bubble [Athens] gives people―no matter what the circumstance is―the balls to do whatever they want."
PASTEL: What is your favorite music to listen to while you work? What get's the creative juices flowing?
MZ: I have many go-to musicians for every mood I have ever felt in the studio. When I'm feeling productive, I listen to old French music. When I feel really depressed, I listen to sad movie soundtracks and cry into my not-even-close-to-finished project. When I need to be amped up, I listen to Miley Cyrus (DON'T JUDGE ME—SHE'S BRILLIANT). And when I feel calm, I lean towards music that I know like the back of my hand like Andrew Bird, the Goat Rodeo Sessions, Laura Marling, Sufjan, or Bob Dylan. I also listen to a lot of podcasts when I'm weaving—it keeps me from feeling mushy upstairs.
PASTEL: You've mentioned before that you grew up in the Athens area. What is your favorite part about the community here? Are there any elements from your upbringing that influence your work today?
MZ: I did kind of! I grew up in a small town called Bogart, Georgia, right outside of Athens (I think I need to clear that up because many townies may not consider me a true local). It's such a great place to grow up. I didn't really know how interested I was in the arts community until I got to college, so it's kind of a bummer that I wasn't fully immersed in the magic of Athens until very recently. The art community here is relentless, which I love. If anyone in Athens has a dream, they pursue it no matter how poor or hungry they will be. I'm also very, very grateful that Athens has an incredible group of very talented and strong women. It has been a very supportive community that constantly reminds me to reach for the stars. Being inside this weird dream bubble gives people—no matter what the circumstance is—the balls to do whatever they want.
Bogart, on the other hand, is a town full of upper middle class redneckery, making my upbringing a very befuddling period of my life. Figuring out who I was and who I wanted to be was surprisingly weird and difficult—so, yeah, the anxiety from that influences my work greatly, for better or for worse.
Are you involved in any other artistic fields outside of your practice in fabrics? What are some of your favorite hobbies?
MZ: I stick to the visual arts despite my family's incredible musical talents. I missed the ball on that one. Like I said before, most of the things I do day to day inspire what I make, so I feel like I'm constantly involved in the arts. I love being involved in the community. Right now, I have more jobs than I can count on one hand, and I LOVE IT. I love to work—it keeps me so grounded and gives me so much peace of mind. I also love to read, watch my cat hump my pillows, go for walks, thrift (I'm addicted), look at art, collect doodads, spend time with the people I love and adore, press flowers, and eat chips at Taqueria Del Sol.
photo by becker
PASTEL: There is always a lot of debate within my own major as a photographer about whether or not a photograph can tell a story . . Would you say that fabric can be interpreted beyond strictly a design? Why or why not?
MZ: Of course! It definitely can! I think it depends on how it is executed and how it is perceived. Fabric is a difficult medium because textiles surround us everywhere we go. It just becomes the norm of everyday to see fabrics (or to see a flurry of photographs), and it takes a good deal of patience and respect to understand the artistry. I think that is why I love fabric so much! It's so difficult to remove it from apparel and upholstery—especially because it is mass-produced so cheaply—that it takes a special pair of eyes to spot when and why it is special. Hand weaving is incredibly grueling and is practically extinct for practical purposes, but it is now also seen as an incredibly special art form. It's almost like the saying "You don't know what you go until it's gone". Which is profoundly beautiful and curious.
PASTEL: You've mentioned to me before that you love weaving! I've heard on numerous occasions that weaving can be quite a grueling (but rewarding) process. Can you talk about what that process is like, and what sets the practice apart from other methods of fabric design for you?
MZ: I've probably conveyed how obnoxious the process can be, so I am also going to remind you how beautiful it is! It takes hours and hours and hours and hours―but is really brings you to the present. The process of weaving quadrupled my attention span and patience and is a constant reminder to go with the flow. I'm lucky that I 'm a very relaxed person who likes wonky shit; I think the average perfectionist would loathe the imperfections that tend to happen in weaving. It brings a nice balance to my life of order versus disorder. I think I like it more than other processes because it's a lot of bang for your buck. At the end of the day, I have created something out of thin air! I also love how repetitive it is without becoming too monotonous. I use repetition heavy-handedly in my work so doing the same motion over and over again while making fleeting decisions is quite the treat.
PASTEL: How do you stay motivated as a creator? Are there any books, musicians, or artists that you draw inspiration from?
MZ: Lack of motivation always gets the best of me. I always have to remind myself that it is very difficult to constantly create new incredible things! I draw upon the natural world and human nature in my work. My eyes are always wide open, and I constantly absorb the life around me. I feel my feelings very deeply, and I capitalize on that when creating.
An old therapist taught me a trick called "the nonjudgmental-observational walk": I walk around and make simple, indifferent observations bout things that I see (ex. That is a squirrel. It is brown . . . Those leaves are pointed. That moss grows up a trunk.), and this clears my mind of any bitter or bad feelings I'm having about feeling uninspired. I do this even when I hang out with people now. There is so much to see when your eyes aren't cloudy with self-deprecating goo.
I read a lot, listen to music, look at a lot of art, go shopping, pay close attention to people, spend time with animals, observe nature, yadda yadda. I'm inspired by anything as long as I can get out of my head long enough to notice it.
PASTEL: List five things you could never live without!
MZ: Big-hearted people, sour gummy worms, warm colors, eyeballs, and random acts of kindness.
PASTEL: Do you have any current or upcoming projects that you are working on or planning to begin in the future?
MZ: I have a lot of project ideas stored in my brain for this upcoming year. I think I'm going to work on incorporating printed images into my weevers and continue to draw like there is no tomorrow. I read a lot of short stories this summer that left me very inspired to start developing the story-telling undertones of my tapestries. Outside of the studio, a couple of side projects are bubbling up that I'm jazzed about. Whenever I meet someone in town that I trust and want to work with, immediate collaboration is on the table—so I'll keep you posted on that.
PASTEL: And lastly, what do you hope your work will accomplish?
MZ: I hope my work will propel me to make more work. I hope it will always give me peace of mind, if only for a few seconds, and I hope that it will connect and foster friendships between me and other talented people. I hope that I will live through life, seeing its beauty and appreciating the fine details. And, mostly, I hope it keeps me imperfect and weird.
—B
