Valeria Sawers
Artist Statement
As an artist I like to explore the relationship between my body and my homelands and what it means to be displaced. My art features not only my lived experiences, but the stories that came before me. There is so much pain in being displaced, and knowing that your body is constantly craving to come home. My art is a form of healing as it allows me to be fully present with my ancestors. Although I work with a couple of different mediums, they all serve the same purpose
Bio
Valeria was born in Puerto Cortes Honduras and moved to the U.S at a young age. Most of her art is based around her childhood in Honduras, featuring bright colors and tropical plants. She specializes in hand stitched embroidery and dabbles in poetry. She loves to create art that features stories, both of hers, and of her family.
Email: vsawers@stanford.edu
Fun Facts
- Valeria picked up embroidery two years ago as a hobby and it has since then become her main medium.
- She learned embroidery from instagram videos.
- She is interested in learning how to needle paint and stitch on canvas.
[Project Title]
Project Description
Valeria is currently working on creating a large map featuring all of the places her family has lived in Honduras. In Central America, maps of each country are constructed differently, with an animal or place drawn to represent each region. The map that Valeria is creating is made up of different stories curated to represent each home that her family has made. Ranging from animals to abstract shapes to represent emotions, this map is her biggest project yet. It will all be hand embroidered and individual pieces will be stitched together to form one large piece. Valeria is creating a key to the map that only she will understand, as the map is not meant to be translated fully.
Recommendations by the Artist
When starting to embroider, make sure you have a pattern set out, this will make it easier to stitch or restitch certain parts.
- Heat erasable pens work wonders! You can get them at any office supply store and simply use a hairdryer to erase any ink off fabric.
- In order to make sharper stitches, break the embroidery floss into separate parts, this can be done at either end (DMC flosses are made up of 6 strands, I like to use 4 strands for regular work and 3 for detailed work)
- Needle threaders will save you so much time and can be found anywhere! (Usually very inexpensive).
- Be patient with yourself, art is meant to be healing and about the process.