Today we’d like to introduce you to Edith Suleyma Contreras.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in Anaheim, CA where I met friends who were street artists. I started making stickers slaps and always keeping a sketchbook with me. I wasn’t any good, like at all, so I took art classes all throughout high school to get better.
My art teacher, Mrs. Johnson, was great and really pushed the community of artists we had at school. She advocated for us to be able to work on murals around campus and in her classroom. She even took us on field trips to art museums and always encouraged our ideas and individual styles. I remember painting a portrait of a nude woman as a tree my senior year and my principal threatening to kick me out of school for putting it up in the art show for open house night without censorship. She held it down for me and took the fall for me so I didn’t get in trouble. The support I received from her and my friends back then is why I never fell out and knew that I wanted to be an artist. I continued to explore different mediums in college. I had taken a couple of printmaking class and fell in love with how rewarding the printing process is.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Unfortunately being a first-generation Mexican-American and the idea that we are supposed to be sort of saviors for our families by pursuing higher education and choosing to be an artist has come with pretty much no moral support from my family. Regardless I make art because I love what I do and have received unconditional support from my friends and the community of artists.
Printmaking as a medium has not always been very kind to me either. I struggled a lot with some of the printing processes when I was learning them. As a printmaker, the biggest worry is always registration and inking something up so that it prints well. Pretty much anything can go wrong but even if it’s just ONE print that comes out how you envisioned, it makes the struggle worth it. We often forget that the struggles along the way are what help us grow as people and especially as artists, but they’re what I’m most thankful for.
Please tell us more about your art.
I chose the name Tinta Mala Suerte, which translates to Bad Luck Ink, a pun on the word Incorporation and that sometimes making a print I’m satisfied with feels more like a stroke of luck than skill.
I am a multidisciplinary printmaker and fiber artist. My work is mostly prints on paper. However, I also make my own paper, earrings out of my prints, embroider, and weavings. My work is inspired by my experiences and I use my work as a tool for healing. My focus is more on being able to share those stories and make work that serves purpose than it is about making work that just looks good.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The community of printmakers and artists I have met and continue to meet along the way have without a doubt had the biggest impact on my success. Whenever I have an idea for a piece or I get stuck on figuring something out, I always run it by my friends and troubleshoot it. My go-to people have always been my friends Ixmal and Chris. I can talk to those dudes about pretty much anything art-related or otherwise. Always willing to lend a helping hand and encourage my ideas, but also tell me when an idea is wack or not working.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malasuerte.ink/
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