PAOLA ZANDA
TEXTILE ARTIST

ABOUT ME

I live in Carona, a pleasant village above the city of Lugano in southern Switzerland. From early childhood, thanks to family members, I was able to learn to sew, embroider, and use the sewing machine. I practised playing the dressmaker with my dolls. I doubted choosing the profession of florist or seamstress, but then the passion for the fabric prevailed. First, I graduated as a master dressmaker, continued my studies, and became a plastic art professor. I practised until early retirement.
During these teaching years, I managed to pass my passion on to many children. Some of them have undertaken, to my great satisfaction, my profession.
My passion for textile art was born by visiting various festivals and attending courses with international artists. I started by working on the figurative. I liked it, but it didn't satisfy me. The continuous desire to learn and know led me to follow a Master with Linda Colsh. It enriched me a lot, giving me a new interpretation and vision. Reflecting on the path taken, I finally found my way in the abstract and minimalism. Taking inspiration from nature and the bark of the trees, I created my style by applying the rules of tailoring to patchwork. Challenging the wefts and warps of the fabric, I work with a piecing taken to the extreme by choosing increasingly complicated shapes. It is a painstaking job that requires a lot of patience and precision. If I am not satisfied, I do not continue and rather undo the work and start until I have the desired result. The passion for colours brings me back to the never forgotten florist. I dye my fabrics with Procion MX colours to find the appropriate shades. My research and construction base on a balanced study of shapes, spaces and colours. Quilting is deliberately simple to highlight the piecing work and give movement and depth to all the work. After working with 50x70 formats, I chose to work with larger dimensions to enhance the design. The world of bark and the study and combination of colours is vast, and I can still evolve in this field. However, I have a relief valve, where I can apply other techniques and materials by working on different subjects and themes.
I am part of the international group Fifteen by Fifteen, and every two months, we present a challenge.