Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Sceery.
Hi Victoria, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
From a young age, I have always felt the need to create independently of mainstream and rules. As a child, it was a struggle to find an educational environment of acceptance in pursuit of an environment that could nourish vs obstruct natural learning instincts.
In elementary, I went from a conventional educational system to the Waldorf school for an alternative creative curriculum. Alternative learning was carried through to graduation from a smaller collaborative and interactive high school. The first year of college was completed in my home state of Rhode Island to build a design portfolio. It wasn’t until SCAD that I felt a more secure path on the road to textile art and design utilizing and attempting to fulfill my creative purpose. Between installation and my apparel brand, there are always multiple projects going on. My mind and hands need to be at work in the studio otherwise I feel out of place. My sense of wholeness comes through color. It helps me to outwardly connect and remain intuitive.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Out of college, I began dye work with a company here in Los Angeles. I then transitioned off to develop my studio practice while maintaining work in the design field through graphics and fashion. Within studio work, the Vee Sceery Textiles hand-dyed apparel brand came to fruition. Growing this brand is something I have to wake up and recommit myself to every day. After two years of labor-intensive work as a solo artist and self-business partner, the brand growth continues. As COVID hit and challenged growth opportunities, I had to compromise and restrategize this year. However, my support system is overwhelmingly solid. My closest friends are artists and designers as well and their support has reminded me to celebrate the small wins. They push me to refuse limitations and press on.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The process is where I’m happy. Without process, I struggle to see a purpose. This is where my background in textiles opens up the creative platform. What keeps me is knowing a product’s story down to the last fiber. Through trial, error, and research, I work towards optimizing agriculturally sustainable materials within ethical working conditions. The color palettes are developed and mixed to echo coastal colors; colors I grew up with on the east coast and now live with on the west coast. Seeing them come to life on the apparel triggers momentum to give back and bring my work full circle. My older sister lived in Peru for 24 months managing Casa Hogar, a foster family children’s home in Lurin, Lima, Peru. Visiting her and integrating with the children influenced a donation-based batch for the kids. During this time in Peru, I accepted the opportunity to learn from a master natural dyer and weaver. He taught me at his home in a mountain village called Parobamba. Exposure to the most natural origins of textiles fuels my work. Any time I travel, my focus is on incorporating and experimenting with color and technique enriched textiles. Making a hand-dyed product that I can see on my friends and then the children of Casa Hogar is what keeps the incentive. I love to see where things come from and how they were made. This is instilled into the groundwork of my brand Vee Sceery Textiles.
What are your plans for the future?
Going forward as an artist, I would love to continue expanding my mediums by exploring new places in and outside my city of Los Angeles. I want to collaborate and continue to meet new artists and bring my work to new environments. I have plans to bring wovens or knits back into my studio practice. Literally and figuratively, my dreams in installation work are always large scale. Outside of my apparel brand, I want to explore and execute large bodies of work within fine art. When it comes to mediums such as paint, dye work, or wovens the blueprint of these installations is yet to be discovered.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.victoriasceery.com
- Instagram: @veesceerytextiles
Image Credits:
Paris Mumpower, Nick Santini, Sarah Sceery, Patrick Murphy, Ava Alexis
