In the Studio with Artist Lexi Arrietta

Today, we’re going In the Studio with artist Lexi Arrietta. Lexi’s artwork will be on display in the Chesapeake Arts Center’s Unearthen gallery exhibit, July 14 - August 18.

A collection of foraged and found, naturally occurring and manufactured. Lexi’s work relies heavily on her connection with nature and her ability to construct these delicately balanced sculptures that elicit curiosity and familiarity simultaneously. There is a graceful harmony in the pairing of elements she uses in each piece, transforming what they once were into a visual language she uses to process and understand her own innermost workings. Lexi grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, laying the foundation for her connection with her natural surroundings.

Here’s Lexi talking about her art, process and experience...

Who is your favorite mentor and what did they teach you?

One of my dearest mentors wasn't an artist, but a waterman and a retired glass factory manager. He taught me a lot about breaking things down in order to see how something functions. Most of my knowledge of tools and repair work comes from him. More than anything, though, he shared with me his joint sense of joy and diligence in building and fixing things. I'm far more patient and industrious in my approach to making because of him.

What does your artwork represent?

My artwork is a method of understanding my own inner workings, processing memories and emotions, and forming a language for how I experience the world. Sometimes a sculpture represents a personal marker of attachment, loss, or instability. Sometimes it represents unwieldy feelings around longing or frustration. Oftentimes, in the process of making, realizations and ideas about emotional schemas and associations are formed. One of the things I think about a lot and express frequently in my work is the connection between grief/trauma and ferality or wilderness.

When did you start creating art? Was there an event that led you to this?

I've made art since I was little. I was very lucky to grow up with different types of artists and makers in my family, and to be encouraged across the board. It wasn't until a few years ago, though, that I was really able to step into making the sort of work and sustaining the kind of artistic practice that I've been craving for a long time. There wasn't an event that led me to this; just a gradual shift in circumstances, self-connectedness, and resolve.

What is your studio/creative space like? Or what is your favorite place to create in?

My studio is always a mess! I collect and keep a wide swath of objects and materials that interest me, regardless of whether or not I have in mind an immediate use for them. I also tend to work best in longer, exhaustive, uninterrupted chunks of time, which doesn't typically lend itself to tidying up. In terms of what I value in a studio space, I'd say the thing that is most precious to me is privacy. I'm someone who's quick to be tuned in to whoever's around them, so being able to feel fully alone and in my own space, without outside voices filtering in, is a big thing for me.

How has your art evolved over time?

In recent months, I've felt myself circling around the inclination to incorporate figural elements into my work. One of the new pieces I have debuting in this exhibition is a first for me in terms of using part of a figural (human) form in a sculpture. I'm excited to see where I go with this.

What characteristics about your personality show through your art?

I think my love for nature, devotion to detail, and disquisitive interest in emotions and human psychology all come through in my work.

Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with?

My dream collaboration would be with Selva Aparicio.

How do you know when a work is finished?

That's a tough one! Sometimes I don't; sometimes I have to sit with it a while. It's a hard thing to parse apart, but when something is finished, it just has a feeling of rightness about it. For me in my work, that usually has to do with straddling this fine line where my hand as the artist is present but not too present, where elements of the piece feel as if they are naturally occuring, and where the physical presence of the piece feels both familiar and otherworldly at the same time.

Is there a specific environment or material that's integral to your work?

Being able to spend time alone in the outdoors is integral to my work. Being with my thoughts, listening, observing, and considering elements of nature as material and metaphor is a big part of my process, especially in the beginning phases.

How have your life experiences influenced your aesthetic style?

I grew up in rural Maryland, on the upper eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The landscape of my childhood and the experiences I had there at a young age are very much ingrained in me, and I think they're inseparable from the visual and material sensibility of my work.

What did you have to develop, try or learn to create your artwork?

I'm constantly learning and developing new methods, often with each new piece. But in general, training myself to have more patience, foresight, and intention in my approach to beginning a new work has been a big one for me. (And of course that comes with the flipside of being able to stay open and flexible when something doesn't go as planned, or when a piece is revealing itself to be something other than what I envisioned.)

For more information on Lexi and her artwork, check her out on instagram or on her website.