In the Studio with Artist Lexi Arrietta

Today, we’re going In the Studio with artist Lexi Arrietta. Lexi’s artwork is currently on display in the Chesapeake Arts Center’s Her Ideas, Her Stories: Women Artists Gallery exhibit.

Lexi Arrietta’s works of art rely heavily on nature, both in subject matter and the foraged materials she uses. She utilizes these organic forms, growths and findings and sculpts them into creations that are a visual guide and interpretation of emotion. Many of Lexi’s pieces draw from internal struggles and issues not openly discussed in our society; drawing comparisons from these feelings within herself to the natural world around her. 

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

How would you describe your style of work?

I use a lot of found/salvaged objects and materials harvested in nature, but I wouldn't consider myself either an assemblage artist or an environmental artist. My work is tough to classify. 

Tell me about your favorite medium.

My favorite medium is always changing. I love exploring different materials from nature and using them in combination with human-made materials. One combination in particular that I keep coming back to is fabric and wild fungi. 

What characteristic(s) about your personality shows through your art?

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

Where are you from and how does that affect your work?

I grew up in rural Maryland, on the upper eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It's a landscape that's very much ingrained in me, and I think it often crops up in my work through the materials I use.

What's your biggest barrier to being a female artist? How do you address it?

The most common frustration I have is finding people and places to turn to when I need help, want to troubleshoot, have questions about how to make/execute something, or am curious about a new tool/method/material. I've encountered many men who, right off the bat, don't take me seriously or seem keen on wasting my time. I've learned to be discerning and quick to indicate what I will and won't tolerate. 

Do you think there’s a double standard in the industry?

Absolutely. I think many of the double standards that women are held to by society at large extend into the art world and continue to be given space there. 

Do your works comment on contemporary social or political issues; if so, how?

No, I don't consider my pieces to be statements on social or political issues. However, I think a lot of the themes my work explores -- grief, absence, attachment, instability -- are all issues that we don't talk about enough, or talk about as openly as we should, particularly given the madness and despair of these past few years.

What are your biggest motivations?  

For me, making art is a method of understanding my own inner workings, processing memories and emotions, and forming a language for how I experience the world. 

How do you market yourself and your work?

That's not something that comes naturally to me. It's definitely its own skill set, and it's something I continue to work on. Learning how to photograph my own work and investing a big chunk of time in writing a longer form artist's statement were two things that really helped get me moving in the right direction. With each new piece I make, I spend time photographing and writing. From there, it's all researching opportunities and making connections with fellow artists and other people in the art world. 

When you are working through problems in your work, who do you talk to?

I talk to myself a lot in the studio. I'll also often bring lingering concerns to my partner.

What are you working on at the moment? 

At the moment I'm working on a freestanding piece that has me thinking about waiting and indecision, dilapidation, and regrowth/reclamation. 

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/or metaphor is a big part of my process, especially in the beginning.

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 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.)

How do you prepare to start a new piece? (do you have a ritual, do research, sketch it out, talk it out…)

I do a lot of thinking, gathering, and considering. 

Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with?

My dream collaboration would be with Selva Aparicio. 

What’s the best thing about being an artist?

Creating my own language and symbology in how I understand myself and in how I process the world around me.

For more information on Lexi and her artwork, check her out on instagram @salt.meadow.studio or on her website.

Hal Gomer Gallery Hours: 

Monday-Thursday 10:00am-6:00pm

Saturday 10am-1pm ( starting on January 15, 2022)

*Visitors are required to call ahead to reserve a time to view the exhibit. Please call CAC’s main office at 410-636-6597 during our business hours Monday - Thursday, 10:00 am-6:00pm to reserve a date and time. Visitors will be checked in upon arrival and masks are required to enter the gallery and CAC building.