Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Fleuranges-Valdes.
Hi Renee, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a contemporary textile artist who loves creating with colorful fabric to make vivid wall hangings for your home and office. I have had a connection to fiber all my life. My mother, aunt, and godmother all sewed and I learned how to make my own clothes at a very early age. But the mother of a childhood friend was a quilter and she planted the seed deep within me while I was in high school. While I enjoyed many crafts… knitting, crochet, embroidery, needlepoint, etc… it wasn’t until I went looking for something to reduce the stress of corporate America, that I picked up quilting. My husband and young children were amazed at how quickly I fell in love with the art form. The house quickly filled with the tools of the trade. I dragged them into quilt shops everywhere we went. I enjoyed making utilitarian quilts. That is until I was introduced to art quilting. My world was flipped upside down. I fell hard, and never looked backed. Thank the lord for Google, YouTube, Pinterest, and local quilt shops. I was a sponge and explored all types of art quilting. I entered quilt shows merely for the feedback of their judges, using it as constructive criticism to improve my skills. Then one day the ribbons started coming, and folks were asking if my quilts were for sale. No, I would respond. These are my babies. Well, my teenage son couldn’t understand why not. He kept pushing me to sell my art and one day I decided to say yes! As I started thinking about retirement from corporate America, I knew I needed a transition plan, and so I began working on my brand and market awareness while asking myself if I really wanted another full-time job… So, I created a website, and took advantage of the advice of a curator here in Charleston, and began slowly expanding my reach using social media. After retirement, my husband and I relocated to Charleston, where I have spent the last two years focused on growing my business.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. Quilting was a logical next step with my sewing background and was a good foundation for the traditional side of quilting. But I always struggled in art during my younger years. I couldn’t draw a lick, and any attempt at painting on a blank canvas was a dismal failure. So how was I to advance the artistic side of quilt making if I couldn’t draw? Luckily there is a YouTube tutorial for just about anything, and so I had to spend quite a bit of time doing online tutorials. As my artistic skills improved, finding the target customer, who sees value in my art, became a huge obstacle that I still dealing with today. My inner circle of family, friends, and colleagues have been great supporters, but finding the stranger who wants to spend their hard-earned money on my art is a daily struggle. I have had some success with shows, galleries, and museums, but I had a connection through my personal network with most of those venues. . I have used social media, and that has helped, but I am hoping to find collectors, an interior designer or someone who shows model homes who is willing to take a chance on me. Add the move from NY to SC during the pandemic and it has been difficult finding potential collectors. I have also found that many people don’t understand that fiber art is something that they can use to decorate their homes and offices. So, educating the market on how they can use original, one-of-a-kind textiles/fibers as a decorative medium, instead of commercially produced art, is yet another constant struggle.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In the simplest terms, I create art for your walls. My medium is fabric, and I specialize in one-of-a-kind art that can be hung on walls, whether it is your home, an office, or a public building. I am known for my use of bright colors, sparkling crystals, and intricate quilting designs that add texture and interest to the piece. Each piece of art comes ready to be hung on your wall, using any number of hanging techniques. I am pleased to say that my art has been in shows, galleries, and museums across the United States. I have work in permanent museum and private collections. I have received numerous awards for my work, focusing on both technique and artistry. I have been recognized for my attention to detail, both in technical execution, as well as my innovative style. I believe it is that attention to detail that sets me apart from others. The most common thing people mention when looking at a piece of my art is how I create such flowing movement, that moves your eyes around a piece. Many will come back to my work multiple times, seeing something new with each visit.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I am open to almost any collaboration that will allow me to share my art with others, I would love to work with an interior designer to meet the unique needs of their clients. I am open to helping an interior designer by creating just the perfect piece of art to bring their vision to life. Of course, like any other artist, the biggest compliment is when someone likes their work enough to invest in it… to share it with their circle… or when a media outlet (print, digital or other) highlights their work to bring attention to it. While I mostly work in themes, I do take a few commissions a year. I am open to all of this.
Contact Info:
- Email: quiltedartistry@gmail.com
- Website: quiltedartistrybyrenee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quiltedartistry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/renee.fleurangesvaldes/
- Twitter: https://www/twitter.com/Renee_FValdes/
Image Credits
Tami Photography LLC
