About

As a third-generation Mexican-American, I was inspired to crochet by my grandmother, Guadalupe Guerrero Saldaña. I started when I was seven years old. Over the years, other strong and patient women like my grandmother helped me develop a firm foundation in crochet and other fiber techniques, from knitting to embroidering to weaving.

The year 1977 changed my life—or at least the part of my life that had to do with art.  I spent the better part of that year in Ireland, where I fell in love with the ancient stories that are part of the rich heritage of Celtic tradition. It was also in Ireland that I developed the technique of crocheted tapestries, a format that lends itself beautifully to pieces of art as large and frameless as the legends they depict.

Coming back to Chicago and reconnecting with friends and family, I realized that my own Mexican culture has a tradition of storytelling every bit as powerful as that of the Irish. These two rich cultures flooded my mind with images that I could see working together. My Mexican heritage and family background are balanced by my fascination with the legends of Ireland.

While crocheted tapestries remain primary to my vision, I’m drawn to other techniques and media as well—crocheted sculpture (as shown here), painting, photography, or combinations of all. Whatever artistic medium I work in, it’s the story that is important. At times, I feel I’ve come to resemble the people of ancient Ireland, whom the poet W.B. Yeats described as being so in love with a story that they “gave themselves up to imagination as if to a lover.”