How long have you been working in this space?
Two and a half years.
Describe an average day in your studio.
I work in the evenings and nights, after I finish my day job as a pastry chef. I work on one thing at a time until it’s finished.
How does the space affect your work?
My studio is in my home, and my home is a tiny shared apartment in Brooklyn. It’s shaped like a wide hallway, with two windows in the front and one at the end. Anything that affects my home life affects my work. In parts of Brooklyn, and in crappy apartments in general, there are always water problems; a few months ago the sealant around the toilet cracked, leaking foul toilet water; later, our upstairs neighbors installed a faulty bidet and water came through the ceiling; now, the sealant on the shower is cracked and water seeps out every time we use it. In my studio I think about water all the time.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
I am most involved in my neighborhood through aspects of my food practice — I’ve baked to help fundraise for a local Community Supported Agriculture, sold kimchi at a nearby bar, and been a part of community markets.
What do you love about your studio?
I work mostly at a desk in my living room; my partner and I bought the desk in pieces off Craigslist from a woman living on Canal Street. It had been her father’s and halfway through refinishing it she abandoned the project and sold it to us. We mostly finished it, except for the side drawers; it has a massive amount of storage and a built-in bookshelf and it is a great place to sit and sew. Above the desk is a print by Maia Ruth Lee that I won in a raffle, an incredibly special thing. It’s the only raffle I have won in my life. On the desk is one of my favorite objects: a stone with a hole eroded in it just large enough that it can be a pen stand.
What do you wish were different?
When I work at night and the window is open, I can hear the rats that live in the yard behind ours. When the sun sets they move into our yard and all of the neighbors’ yards looking for food, and to play and hang out. They can be really loud; our cat, Eggy, used to sit at the window looking out at them, so badly wanting to hunt; now, two and a half years later, she’s not as interested because they visit every night.
What is your favorite local museum?
The American Folk Art Museum on the Upper West Side is great. Admission is free and it’s a block from Central Park. Their exhibition What That Quilt Knows About Me was one of my favorite shows I saw last year.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
I work a lot with found textiles and I like working with them the most when they’re threadbare. Mending is a significant part of my embroidery work, and it is especially enjoyable when the wear on a textile affects the final product.
