Mara Wagenfuhr is a German artist who creates detailed works of embroidery, each with a message, which she sells through an auction on her website.
Bulb in Blue: So Mara, why did you start making your embroidery pieces?
Mara Wagenfuhr: I studied fine arts and painting in Berlin, but I never committed myself to any specific media like oil or acrylics. I prefer the layering of different techniques and materials, a sort of collage-effect, such as you see in my artistic work. After creating two-dimensional pieces at first, I soon started to create embroideries by applying thread to the canvas like a tattoo. From this point onwards it was a logical step to dedicate myself to embroidery and to explore the possibilities of working with textiles. I made the first pieces while travelling through Mexico. During this trip I only carried an embroidery needle with me, finding the rest of the materials in the regions I travelled through.
Bulb in Blue: Once a week you create an embroidery which you present on your blog. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Mara Wagenfuhr: Creating a piece of embroidery once a week and presenting it online requires a certain pressure to remain disciplined and stick to deadlines, as well as allowing me a bit of time to try new things. This was my main reason for starting my blog. My second idea was the one concerning the auction. Everyone has the chance to purchase a piece of my work, starting with a third of the official gallery price. By subscribing to the blog, artistically-interested people can follow my art quite easily.
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Bulb in Blue: How do you make your embroidery pieces and what kind of materials do you use?
Mara Wagenfuhr: The material I use comes from different sources: from friends, from rejected clothes or from journeys I go on. In the beginning I sewed and embroidered everything by hand. Today, I also use a sewing machine for bigger pieces.
Bulb in Blue: All your works involve a personal message. Where do they come from ?
Mara Wagenfuhr: Many of the sentences that you can find in my works come from songs that reflect my actual mood, which have touched me somehow emotionally. It is important to me to transmit this emotion or idea through my work.
Bulb in Blue: How long does it take you to make an embroidery?
Mara Wagenfuhr: The smaller pieces which you can see in my blog have to be completed in a week. Once I have come up with a good idea, it depends on the effort, complexity and how emotionally involved I become with the work.
Bulb in Blue: Which ones of your work do you like the most?
Mara Wagenfuhr: From an outsider's point of view, I would say there are pieces which are more successful, and other which are less successful. However, for me, each one I work on is more important than the last, so I couldn't possibly choose a favourite.
Bulb in Blue: Thanks for the interview! We look forward to seeing more of your work very soon!
See the auction of Mara's embroidery right here:
http://bisichdichfinde.blogspot.com/
To see more of Mara's work, follow this link:
http://www.marawagenfuehr.de/
http://www.janinebeangallery.com/
September 2010
Meike