We were lucky to catch up with Cynthia Walat recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Cynthia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I have always been creative. Starting from a young age I was either trying to sell my hand made creations door to door to our neighbors or I was learning how to sew – which I acuate to be a life skill one I still use today. From there the world of fiber arts become my joy be it knitting or felting and all other manner of textile crafts. In 2014 I became acquainted with an artist who presented a twist to my concept of textiles – the utilization of textile techniques that incorporated nontraditional materials. She crocheted sculptures out of plastic newspaper bags and felted into metal screening and found driftwood. From that initial meeting a new way of seeing the world become available, from taking classes from and learning new techniques to now a monthly critique group. The relationship with this group – Fiber Lab changed my thinking about making and opened up a whole new world. In 2021 I participated in my first group show – I had three pieces in it – one of which became the photograph on the exhibit postcard. This opportunity began to plant the seeds of how I might continue this experience as I was facing retirement and to create more work that could be shown. My approach to creating had really started to take a new direction – and with the use of found materials, single use plastics and other non-recyclable materials have now become my medium of choice. It’s been an exciting adventure -one I never thought I would ever be able to do – but dreams do come true my work has been exhibited in and around Metropolitan Boston now since 2021.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am mixed media textile artist specializing in single use plastics and post-consumer waste that has evolved over the last ten years from traditional materials and techniques to unconventional ones. I have a history of working collaboratively with the community and have a strong interest in history, process and materials, especially when they all come together to tell a unique story. Incorporating nontraditional materials into my work has allowed me to add another layer to the storytelling; manipulating and turning the work into something that is outside of the ordinary and belies its original origins. This integration process allows me to consider the overwhelming number of discarded materials and respond to them in a way by using them in my art.

Creating has been a part of who I am from my earliest memories. I have refined my practice as a textile artist, I have become keenly aware of the amount of waste that surrounds us, items tossed as having no further purpose. My interest in incorporating post-consumer waste into my work, shows that there is beauty to be created by using materials not grown in nature but abundantly found in nature. By using repurposed single use plastics and other discarded items with the common denominator of color and texture I am able to give them a second chance highlighting their potential beauty. Telling the story is completely serendipitous. I let the materials speak. This is where discarded items take on a magic of their own, and I am gratified by the challenges and possibilities that these unconventional materials present.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The origins of my creative journey and the creative aspects of my professional career were all based on very specific directions and rigid rules and regulations with a known outcome. In the last ten years my approach has taken a very different turn. I have learned to develop my own rules and regulations choosing the direction of the path I should take. This has taken a lot of practice. Developing my own voice in my work was not something I was used to doing. Creating someone else designs and incorporating my colors and textures was how I began but that has been completely upended. There is a freedom in the choices I now make many times I have no concept for a material I have found but believe that at some point it will have a place in my work. What if is a question I ask myself all the time – not knowing the answer or outcome has made the journey an adventure inviting spontaneity and the unknown outcome become part of the process.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I have found the most rewarding part of my practice is the joy I find in the process of creating and by showing my work I am able to share that joy with others. Its amazing and its the reason I keep doing it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cynthiadonnellywalat.com
• Instagram: @plastic_fibers

Image Credits

Will Howcraft