Chris Roberts-Antieau is an American fiber artist, born, raised, and based in Michigan. She has Antieau Gallery branches in Santa Fe and New Orleans, as well as a frame shop, also in New Orleans. Growing up, Roberts-Antieau did poorly in school and was never recommended for college, which she ultimately never went to. On top of this, she never attended art school, for which she is “grateful-eternally” as she “never learned what not to do.”
Over Spring Break, I had the opportunity to visit the Santa Fe branch of Antieau Gallery. I went in completely unaware of Roberts-Antieau’s work, but immediately, I was taken aback by the incredible intricacy and level of talent she displayed. Though she dabbles in multiple areas of craftsmanship, the vast majority of Roberts-Antieau’s pieces are embroidered tapestries, done in such minute detail that they look painted.
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Completely self-taught, Roberts-Antieau learned to sew in seventh grade, but didn’t truly begin her artistic career until the 1980’s, when she was in her early thirties. She initially sewed 3D sculptures of various circus performers. But, eventually she began turning her everyday sketches into clothing designs for jackets, handbags, etc. And, upon this success, she realized she could translate her designs into even larger pieces of work: her embroidered tapestries. With the technique of thread painting, done on a standard sewing machine, Roberts-Antieau has created a world of art full of whimsical designs, with prices ranging from $1,000 to $66,000.
In terms of her creative process and motivations, Roberts-Antieau states that all she has ever done is listen to and trust the voice in her head telling her to follow her dreams. She wants others to listen to theirs too, and guarantees “it will take you where you need to go. Don’t be afraid.” A massive aspect of Roberts-Antieau’s craft is about discovering how to express and understand joy. “[The truth is that] we are all blessed with the ability to recognize and create joy, and…life is about that creation.” Roberts-Antieau also wants to bring out feelings of childlike wonder with her work, which is a feeling she always tries to connect with. Beginning with standard drawings in her sketchbook is one of the main aspects of her creative process that helps Roberts-Antieau connect back to her experiences as a child, which is in turn presented in many of her pieces. Home
Chris Roberts-Antieau is without a doubt an intrinsically motivated creative. The vast majority of her artistic process comes from listening to the voice in her head and connecting herself back to her previous life experiences. She creates what she wants to, and enjoys that process immensely. Especially considering how she is self-taught, Roberts-Antieau is someone who demonstrates the ability to pick herself up and work how she wants to. She isn’t held to any external conditions or limitations. Her work is hers, in all aspects. Ascension
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Roberts-Antieau
Ruby, great post! I had never heard of this artist before, and you're right—her works look like paintings. I especially liked how you described Roberts-Antieau's intrinsic motivation in detail. As you say, she truly followed her love for art in her career more than anything else. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteTapestries are not normally an art style that comes to mind, but her works are very interesting. Stemming from the fact she taught herself how to sew, you can see that she has a knack for her work. Would be interesting to hear what she attributes the voice inside her head to when working the process and see how the drawings in her sketchbook become the vivid tapestries that she creates.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool post! You don't normally see people making tapestry art, which makes it seem like her art has even more dimensions of creativity than just her artistic output. When even the choice of medium is creative, the art itself takes on even more creative depth within the social context, as does the way she breaks style boundaries by incorporating so many mediums - starting with sketches, then tapestries, and then making her fabric art look painted with her artstyle.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this artist before this post but I love her work, especially the piece "ascension" that you posted. The multiple textures visible in the work are very intriguing to my eye, as well as the color palette and the way that the night sky envelops the main subject. I love that she chose a somewhat unusual medium for her artwork, and it certainly creates a greater impact on the viewer of the art than a more typical medium would.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with this artist, but the photos you included are so captivating! I find her method really interesting, I don't think I've ever seen such detailed work done on fabric with this sewing machine technique. It feels like a new take within the medium of fiber arts, and the images themselves are also so beautiful and thought provoking.
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