Work in Progress

WORK IN PROGRESS is the new project of Dolores Design Studio. Art is a passion of ours and it is present in everything that we do. Our goal with Work in Progress is to create an archive of studio visits and interviews with artists, as a means to build a connection with the creative community and support our local culture, history and identity. Come get inspired with us!

*If you are an artist and would like to be part of the project, please contact us through [email protected]

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We're happy to announce the first WORK IN PROGRESS with: ANGELA CORSON

1- How's the day to day at your studio look like?

Ok, well, I do art work every day. I have this studio and another one at home. When I come here, it is to work with 2D pieces, to have a meeting with somebody that wants to look at my artwork, or because a gallery wants to see or pick pieces for a show. Or for a cleanup. I do a cleanup because I open the studio twice a month.

2- How was the art scene when you first arrived in Houston, about 18 years ago? 

Well, I have to say I really find a very nice community for artists. I came to Houston and went to the community college to study art. I took painting and then ceramic classes. Then, I started building this community of friends and artists and started recognizing the galleries and the museums. So, I feel like Houston has a very nice community and an appreciation for art. That's very good. 

3- Can you tell us about the installation called Lasting Impressions and the story behind it? 

I created the piece as a reaction. A reaction I had about a political, very powerful, political person who was caught bragging about his bad behavior with women. So, I was very upset. I was even more upset because I heard people accepting that behavior, since it was something that had happened in the past. And they said "Oh, that was a long time ago, so it doesn't matter". That's why I created that piece. Because the women who were part of that specific episode, or any women that suffers from violence and abuse, they have to live with that every day. It is not something in the past for them. That's why I created that piece.

Angela Corson, Lasting Impressions, 2021

4-  How does art help in issues like violence against women? 

I feel like it's a good thing to talk about bad things, because that helps us to have an opinion, and a reaction, or maybe awareness. What I'm hoping when I create a piece like that (Lasting Impressions) or like Ni Una Más, is hoping that people can start to talk about this subject. People can start to talk about these problems with their friends, and that gives us a chance to maybe identify what are the triggers for these problems. And maybe we can help other women to be aware of all these and avoid it. I'm not pretending to change the world, but just only to start to talk about (issues like that). 

Angela Corson, Not One More - Ni Una Más, 2018

5- How do you use textiles in your artwork? 

Now I'm starting to do more textiles, but I feel the textiles have been in my whole life, in all the paintings, and all the artwork. Now I'm starting a new series that was inspired by when I was in the kitchen, and I cut a mushroom. I saw that beautiful form and layers in the mushroom and I thought, I always try to achieve that, but maybe I can try to do it with a different material, not just painting, because I had tried to do that  with paint. So I thought I could use fabric, or other material to mimic that. That's why I'm working in this new series now.  

6- Why is it important for you to work with different mediums? 

For me, working with different mediums is a plus. I'm a painter. But, when I took a ceramic class, that opened another door for me. So many things that I want to express, or create, I can't do with painting. Ceramic gives me that "uuh". It opened the door for 3D, sculpture and things like that. Not every subject I can express with painting in the same way as ceramic or metalwork. And I always go back and forth. I love to paint, and, I love ceramic the same. I'm working with metal too. I like everything.  

7- What are you currently working on? 

Well, I'm working on this new series. It's a different material I'm working on. I used the acrylic paint for my backgrounds. I prepare the canvas, in a regular way, using the primer and everything. I like to create a good background for the thread. I use different materials now. I use natural fibers. I started with a small piece and now it's moving and moving, so we’ll see. 

8- Are there any exhibitions that you are participating in and we should know about? 

We just closed the exhibition I participated at the Holocaust Museum Houston*. I participated with 3 installations there. I was very excited. It was a beautiful show. And now one of those pieces, No One More (Ni Una Más) is in the Amarillo Museum of Art**, and that's good. 

9- Is there anything else you'd like to add? 

Welcome to my studio. I use this studio as a showroom, because I want to show what I do. It doesn't matter if it's small, if it's ceramic, or metal work. I want to show to the world a small or a big work. It doesn't matter, because I want to show what I do and I want to see the reaction of people when they come and  see my artwork. Some people have a positive reaction, other people don't, but that's fine. For me it's the best when I see people react. So, I have my studio open two times a month, second and third Saturdays, from noon to 5pm, at Sawyer Yards.

Video of the visit:



Where to find the artist: 
@angelacorson_artist
[email protected]
Studio 103, Silver Street Studios
2000 Edwards Street, Houston, TX.