About Me
Perla Casiano-Pineda is a fiber artist born in Monroe, NC, and currently resides in Polkton, NC. She attended Meredith College in Raleigh, NC, where she majored in Studio Art and minored in Arts Administration and Fashion Design.
Casiano specializes in embroidery and cross-stitching as her primary forms of work, inspired by personal experiences, her interest in fashion design, and her discovery of her Mexican heritage and culture, specifically, the Day of the Dead. She focuses on the slow, intuitive process of making fiber art and on its tactile feel. Her interest began by watching her mother embroider servilletas with only the herringbone stitch. Following closely, her mother taught Casiano how to stitch authentic Mexican servilletas, sparking her curiosity in fiber arts.
Casiano’s work has been featured in Atlantis a Creative Magazine and Meredith College's 42nd Annual Student Art Exhibition. She was awarded the Penland Partnership Scholarship, which allowed her to attend a fibers workshop at Penland the School of Craft. She is looking forward to an internship at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC, and conducting research to start her small business while continuing to make art.
Artist Statement
Through the slow, rhythmic labor of needlework, I navigate a range of meaningful themes that have impacted my life, including personal experiences, fashion design, and my Hispanic heritage and culture. I create most of my art in the form of embroidery and cross-stitch, as I appreciate the tactile touch that strengthens my genuine appreciation for the creative process composed of hundreds of stitches done by hand.
My process begins with inspiration from my Hispanic culture that I can weave into the concept. Integrating a vibrant culture into my work, I utilize bold colors to explore a heritage that I am passionate about and as a tool for discovery. I replicate important symbols through specific stitches, for example, the woven flower stitch mirrors the importance of flowers and their symbolism. In particular, by the Day of the Dead, a day when people celebrate the life and death of loved ones. Working with natural fibers such as cotton and silk, there’s a deeper connection as I am blending my interests in fibers and fashion design.
When the concept revolves around a unique experience, I stitch my emotions into the project. I relish the feeling of lessening the weight over my shoulders and letting my work carry it for me. It’s a creative way of letting go of the emotions that are holding me back. Additionally, the process is therapeutic as it improves and relaxes my state of mind and body into something lighter and peaceful. It grants me a stronger connection with my work and allows others to identify with it. Creating fiber art with a needle and thread is a perfect way to weave myself into the fabric. I admire the process from beginning to end, as I get to see how I expand on my techniques to create colorful works of art. Seeing my finished work is like viewing my emotions that no longer belong to me, but to my work.