Mariana Baertl
As painters, we have minimal experience or knowledge of three dimensional work, particularly fibers. We saw fiber artist Mariana Baertl on social media and couldn't stop talking about the amazing color schemes and textures in her work! She utilizes her background in fashion and oceanic inspiration to create her work.
Mariana Baertl is the creator and artist behind Living Fibers. Baertl was born and raised in Lima, Peru's capital, surrounded by the countries' traditional handmade trades, especially textile work. She studied Fashion Design in Peru and later moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina to focus on Coolhunting, the study of "trends" and how it relates specifically to the fashion industry. Baertl then moved to Barcelona, Spain to begin her work in Haute Couture and pattern making. Her Haute Couture education taught her the level of patience and precision needed in creating handmade designs. Thereafter she earned a post graduate degree in Fashion Buisness management from Pompeu Fabra University, in Barcelona. Following graduation, she moved back to Lima, Peru to work as a fashion designer for a large retailer in Lima. While working with this company, she started experimenting with textures and textiles. Baertl soon found herself in love with the art and began making fiber art pieces whenever she could find the time. After several years as a fashion designer, she decided to make a change and immerse herself into the fiber world.
Her love of fibers is apparent; we asked Baertl to provide some insight into her work and process:
I get my inspiration from all things natural and organic, often influenced by what I call "natural clusters", which are various organic elements tightly arranged. An example of these natural clusters would be feathers, fossils of vegetation from a forest/dense tropical jungle. The ocean is also a major source of inspiration; from shapes waves create to the marine life like coral reefs, I find the ocean full of details.
Originally published 5/15/2019
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