Marisa de la Peña

Marisa was born and raised in Southern California in a very large and colorful Mexican-American Family. Her works revolves around her obsessions, upbringing and spirituality. She likes horror movies, skeletons, occult imagery, family superstitions, witches, 1940’s fashion, haunted houses, cultural textiles and lowriders. Maris depicts these in paintings, drawings, comics and textiles in tedious detail and care.

KALTBLUT: Hi Marisa, could you please tell us a bit about your artistic background.

Marisa: I have always been drawn to art ever since I was a little kid, so it made sense to pursue it as I got older. I studied at the California College of the Arts in Oakland, CA where I earned a BFA in Textiles. I also studied painting and printmaking, but I always more into to pattern and print.

KALTBLUT: What is your main inspiration?

Marisa: I would probably say my upbringing, my house growing up had walls that were painted different colours and covered with textiles and masks from Mexico. My family is also full of hoarders and my mother would always collect cultural textiles and jewelery and let me dress up in them as a kid. I would pretend to be a witch or a princess.

KALTBLUT: Mexican culture does have a focus on death in general, is this also the reason why there is so much skull in your drawing?

Marisa: I don’t know if it is such a focus on death, rather than a fascination with what is next. My parents are Mexican and would always Instill (especially during Dia de los Muertos) to always respect the dead, don’t fear death and celebrate those who have passed. My family doesn’t believe in mourning during this time because you aren’t supposed to cry (it wets the roads for the dead) and since I was a kid I was never scared of the skull image, rather in love with it. I guess thats why I tend to draw it a lot, haha.

KALTBLUT: What is your favourite medium to use?

Marisa: Gauche!

KALTBLUT: We are in love with all your pattern. How did you come to work with fashion?

Marisa: I got my degree in Textiles but I was always obsessed with fashion. My grandmother would stock up on vogues and sewing books and I would read them religiously. She also taught me how to use a sewing machine at an early age so I would make my dolls dresses. Pattern is really important to me because every culture has a form of dyeing or weaving and its all gorgeous and unique.

KALTBLUT: Who are your favourite designers at the moment?

Marisa: Oh thats a hard one. At the moment I am really digging Ashish, Manish Arora, Orla Kiely, Stella Jean, Undercover and Preen Line.

KALTBLUT: You said that you are a vagabond, where are living at the moment?

Marisa: Haha, I am kinda in between places at the moment. I just returned to my native LA from Berlin and then I’m off to Brazil to visit family. I have the travel bug.