Rainbow Kimono
Name: April Rose
Occupation: Artist, living loophole
Astrological circumstances: Taurus
Describe your personal style? An ever evolving collage of the past & present! I love playing with textures, prints, colors. I'm inspired by the natural & the unnatural.
How would you describe your art? I try to create pieces I've never seen before. Really the whole point for me is to keep fantasy alive. It's my escapism. To dream up a vision & then turn it into something tangible fuels my fire. I often paint, sketch & collage my ideas as part of my daily practice.
Are you formally trained as an artist, self taught, or some combination? Tell us how your work has evolved through different mediums and what themes you are currently exploring? I have a bit of schooling in Interior Design & Textiles. I attended College of Marin & then the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan for a year. I have to say I learned the most following my own instincts with color & materials. I struggle with structured ciriculum I need more freedom to be led by the medium. Fiber had been my main love for decades then ceramics took hold & has opened up a whole new realm for me. I am constantly learning from clay & fiber. The potential they hold is endless. Materials & tools fascinate me and often dictate what I create.
There seems to be a resurgence of Yoni art, but yours are among the more colorful and compelling. What is the significance of making Yoni art to you?
My work in this regard has flowed from me so organically. I very much enjoy playing with themes that I thought to be taboo when I was younger. Since becoming a mother especially I have come to see more clearly the powerful potency of the feminine & I love to celebrate it, worship it. We are all living rainbows!
We’ve enjoyed the glimpses instagram offers into the magical world you create for your children. How old are your little ones and and how does motherhood in general, and mothering these humans in particular influence your creativity? My babes! My son is 8 & my daughter is 5. They are greatly inspiring to my work, a lot of my strongest themes came from ideas for night time talismans & protection to comfort especially my oldest in the night. He is a very heavy thinker & his mind doesn't rest. I began creating tools to help him cope with his anxiety about the dark. As a young child I had a lot of night fright around bedtime so I guess in a way I'm also soothing the child in myself. I've collected children's books for them since before they were born & draw a lot from the imagery in our library.
What’s a typical day in your universe look like? With my kids being the ages they are quite a lot of rigamarole is involved but I make an effort to spend as much time as I can in my studio & days that also include some family time in nature are the most gratifying.
What are some of your self care rituals? Hikes & taking quiet moments, honestly I could use more. I sacrifice a lot of self care for time to create work. Whenever I work with color it's very healing & grounding for me.
What’s next for Rainbow Kimono- what can we look forward to in 2016/17? I've been working in larger scale & I want to continue that path. I've got some exciting projects in the works, stay tuned!
