Meet Eli West of Santa Fe Arts District

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eli West

Hi Eli, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My art practice has always been a hodgepodge of materials, largely centered around found objects and driven by a desire to engage with mediums that are tactilely interesting for me as a maker. Early on in my education I found myself acutely aware that most of the art objects I was creating were not biodegradable and would likely outlive me, taking up space in landfills. Which felt like an unnecessary legacy to leave behind. This awareness inspired me to start working with dryer lint. Dirty, nasty, fluffy drier lint! I began a relationship with a laundromat, picking up a trash bag of lint from them every week or so. I would empty the lint out in my studio and begin transforming it into fabric through a variety of methods, primarily using wheat paste and hand sewing techniques. It was tactile, aromatic (to say the least) and really fun to work with. Eventually a dear friend mine pointed out that I was essentially wet felting, an ancient technique that takes raw animal fiber, usually wool and through the process of hot water and agitation creates a fabric. Early examples of this technique have been found in permafrost and likely predate weaving techniques. ANYWAYS, upon learning about felting the entire trajectory of my practice changed. I began seeking out other makers who used wool in their practice and was welcomed into a vibrant community of artists and creatives who knitted, crocheted, sewed and felted. For a muppety young queer kid intimidated by more traditional art spaces, the fiber community welcomed me with open arms. In the decade that has followed I have seen my art practice evolve in a myriad of ways. I’ve built my body of work, earned an MFA in Applied Craft +Design in 2021 and been able to exhibit internationally. I have also collaborated with alpaca farms across the state, where I’ve learned the intricacies of sheering and processing fiber for my practice. The ability to source my own material from a farm and know that when my creation is discarded it can decompose with some ease is very important to me. Currently my partner Max and I share a studio space in the Santa Fe Arts District where I consistently find myself working with wool and felting techniques to create wall hangings, soft sculptures and more mixed media based oddities.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This has not been the smoothest of roads, but it is a road I deeply enjoy. I create as much as I can, and show as consistently as I can. I haven’t found success as a 9 to 5 working artist but I have been able to supplement my practice largely through the pieces I make. The financial reality of Denver and our world at large has been difficult to navigate. The cost of a studio space, supplies, calls to entry and paying back the cost of higher education require multiple revenue streams for me. I have found myself at home working within the arts and cultural sector of Denver at one of our many incredible museums which supplements many of my financial needs and feeds into my creative practice as well. One of my friends Leah Swenson, who has been interviewed by Voyage Denver regularly reminds me that many professional artists require a day job and that is an important reminder. Just like everything, it is important to be patient and respectful of the process. My art practice is not a pressure rather a pleasure I get to keep carrying forward.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am incredibly proud of the body of work I have already made in my career so far. I largely create colorful, garish, and joyful worlds rendered primarily in felted fiber with some mixed media elements. My work speaks to the multilayered and complex relationships presented within the contemporary queer culture and the other communities I occupy. My pieces are made primarily from all-natural fibers sourced from local fiber farms, as well as waste material from textile productions. I utilize a variety of needle and wet felting techniques, which allows me to produce uniquely textured and painterly images with a high degree of precision and detail.

Often overlooked by the world of high brow contemporary art, my chosen medium of fiber pushes back against these predisposed ideas of high and low culture, while also building a parallel to how the queer experience is often overlooked within our society. My desire to work in felt is born from a space of agitation and pressure, the very elements that are required to transform raw fiber into felt. Held in congruence with my own playful impulsiveness, these material qualities also become emblematic of my experience in fragmented and increasingly bigoted contemporary culture which requires an equivalent amount of agitation, pressure, transformation, and playfulness as a matter of survival.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
It may sound straightforward but the lesson I am consistently learning is to just be chill, to be grateful and to be confident in my choices. It is a really hard lesson to remember. The world is hard and scary and feeling increasingly harder to see a beautiful world ahead of us. But the best I can do for myself and my community is to remain chill in the moment, be grateful for the places and spaces I share with others and be confident in the choices I have made both professionally and personally.

Pricing:

• I make most of my art income from sales of existing work and commissions. Reach out to me via instagram and my website for pricing inquiries.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eli-west.com
• Instagram: @eli.gible