Rhiannon Griego

Rhiannon Griego is a textile artist & jewelry designer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her weaving practice and area of focus is rooted in Saori, Japanese Zen Weaving which she has been engaged in since 2013. This practice of Wabi-Sabi has permitted Rhiannon to see profound beauty in the imperfections of life as it is, it has assisted in the teaching of letting go of perfection to embrace what is being created exactly as it is. Rhiannon’s original creative practice in beadwork & fine jewelry provided with her a focused, quiet discipline to launch into Fine Art and Wearable Art Textiles. Her Mexican, Tohono O’odham & Spanish ancestry act as the portal that informs her weaving practice while embracing the cultural arts of these lineages in a modern way.

Her textiles are collected globally and many clients commission bespoke works to imbue both their wardrobes & homes. She is happiest weaving textiles that reflect the unique landscapes she travels too, often drawn to unusual geological forms. She engages in natural dyeing, utilizes sustainable fibers as often as possible and believes that handwoven textiles thoughtfully made, are objects of art to bring back the old ways of slower living.

"My objective with textile art is to touch the world through my gift of tactility. The art of cloth making is intrinsic to human DNA & memory: I aspire to invoke a connection to the natural world of fiber for both the observer and collector. Our modern society is a complex tapestry of past, present and the future of where we are going into the unknown. Textiles are amongst the oldest art forms that permitted our evolution, our survival in harsh climates while also telling the story of the myriad culture developing simultaneously.  I’ve aspired to continue this ancient tradition, rooted in my bloodlines, and revitalize its presence; it’s a beautiful, slow-made object of art capacity at a time when society demands cheaper and faster for mass consumption. In the most reverent way for my life and the harmony of living with nature, I’m aspiring to create beauty on all facets with my life as an honoring of the gifts that have been given.

Weavers have always been revered within all cultures and the textiles generated by their hands were deeply treasured. I’m hoping that through both my practice as a fine artist and functional artist, I can rekindle that awe that will connect the observer to the spiritual nature of our interwoven existence with Earth. The philosophy of Saori, a wabi-sabi approach to permitting my loom to guide me rather than guiding it, has provided me a freeing lens to see beauty everywhere. I do not seek my art practice solely as something separate that I do, but rather the full embodiment of who I am on this planet. Art is not what I seek to create, it is who I am. Weavers, with their varying mystical myths across the globe, do not just generate cloth, we weave beauty into the lives we are born into and however I can continue to emanate this in my life, I am a vessel."