I am a textiles artist from Berkeley, Ca. Before attending college I thought I was going to go into fashion design, but found that I prefered the sewing aspect much more than the design process.
Alice
When I toured California College of Arts it took about 5 seconds after walking into the textiles department to know that that was the place for me. I am attracted to practices that are very hands on. While Studying at CCA I took a fundamentals 2D class. My teacher, Sydney Cohen, a fantastic artist, gave us an assignment to paint a picture without paint and suggested that I try hand embroidery. My first piece was a portrait of Jesus…It was very kitschy. After that I was hooked.
Painting without paint
Much of my inspiration is drawn from architectural patterns such as wrought iron fences, tiles, brick, texture, and shapes. My work is inspired by themes of grief, loss, change, and the process of rebuilding oneself. My highly repetitive and detailed work is simultaneously chaotic and calming, with currents of order and repetition.
Using only white thread, I experiment with the direction of my stitches, and how the light reacts to the thread, allowing my pieces to be experienced with different levels of dimension. Travel is at the heart of my work as well, as I have spent time living in Melbourne, Australia and Kyoto, Japan. I describe my work as minimal, meticulous, orderly.
I do not sketch my entire piece out before hand on paper- I enjoy seeing them change organically from my original idea as I embroider. I do try and draw out a small sketch of the specific pattern I am embroidering. It amazes me how different the idea transfers from the idea in my head, to the black ink line drawing on graph paper, to the white thread on my cotton fabric. 
I stretch my cotton fabric onto stretcher bars that my dad makes for me. I draw out a grid using a quilting marker and quilting ruler and then begin embroidering. I often change the pattern to make the piece unpredictable. Most of the time the way I thought the piece would evolve is not how it ends up. Most of my pieces are based on repeating patterns I see. As soon as the pattern starts to look too formulaic, I change it up to keep the viewer on their toes.
The concepts are constantly circulating in my head. I assign a concept to one piece, then deconstruct that thought while working on the piece. I believe that my work is a direct representation of how I feel and each piece is a visual therapy session of my internal monologues.
I see my process going larger, sculptural, and wearable. I want to see my work crossing over different mediums and to use other tools and processes to create work. I want to learn to weave the fabric I embroider and I want to turn my embroidery patterns into screen printed yardage of fabric to then turn into clothing. I have been working with my embroidery machine and trying to see how my designs and patterns translate through it.
My work relieves me of stress, fills me up with energy, and makes me exhausted. When I am working I get into a relaxing, meditative state where I can be completely present in my practice. It is very therapeutic.
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Alice received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from California College of the Arts (2012) in Textiles. She has traveled from Japan to Australia, learning about different textile techniques and has had the opportunity to work with a variety of different fabrics and fibers. Alice currently lives in the Bay Area, working in her studio, surfing, and eating Justin’s peanut butter cups. If you would like a custom piece or to work with Alice on a project, please contact her!
Instagram: himynameisalicewiese Alice can be contacted at: aliceweise.com