Life and Work with Wolfe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wolfe.

Hi Wolfe, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a Phoenix-based, textile-obsessed, queer artist & designer. I base my practice on the idea of softe: environmentally responsible, tender, and textural. I am inspired by the idea of making a community softer: from hypoallergenic textile earrings to creating a thoughtful online maker resource. In my artwork, I explore material, magical, and colorful alternatives to the everyday.

I grew up in Central Oregon where I developed a love for the outdoors and outdoor gear aesthetic. The mix of genderless workwear combined with a colorful reinterpretation of material still influences me today. When I turned eighteen, I decided to travel instead of going to university. Based on that choice, I traveled and worked my way through Cambodia, Australia and Europe. When I landed in Europe, I was lucky enough to be “adopted” by a Dutch family who encouraged me to stay with them as their au pair and pursue an education in the arts. Through that experience, I was able to attend the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam for three years. It was through this school that I found a love of textiles and art with context.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Ending up in Phoenix was a fateful experience. I think people end up in Phoenix in a lot of the same ways: they didn’t have a choice, they went to school here, or by complete accident. For me, it was a complete accident. I had set up a study exchange program in Vancouver, Canada in 2018. Somehow, I hadn’t been informed that I wouldn’t be able to work while I did my exchange. I only found out I wouldn’t be able to work while I studied two weeks after arriving in Vancouver, after realizing I would be unable to collect a paycheck on a job I had already began. As a member of the lower working class, this was an impossible, terrible blow to my ambitions. I spent weeks flag-polling (visiting the border and re-crossing to talk to border officials), and when I ran out of money I ended up in Seattle. From there, my brother suggested Phoenix. He pointed out that he had a friend who would let me stay with them and that Phoenix itself was a land of opportunity for aspiring artists. I scraped into Phoenix with my remaining pennies and found out my brother was right: I love the budding art scene, the type of people who live here and even managed to find a husband. It hasn’t been easy- I really started with nothing, staying at a friends-of-a-friend’s home and working in restaurants to help get on my own feet. But Phoenix is a place made of tough, unusual, and resourceful people, and it was in this extraordinary group of people that I’ve found my home.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In 2021, I have two main projects: the Phoenix 2021 Artist Directory and designing my own deck of tarot. With the Phoenix Artist Directory, I’m looking to connect Phoenix artists and makers to their community, to each other, and to local resources. I’m including artists and makers in the following categories: ART, CLOTHING, DESIGN & FABRICATION, ACCESSORIES, HOME GOODS, BEAUTY, FOOD & DRINK, LITERATURE, CURATION, and VENDING. Anyone (who lives and works in Phoenix) is welcome to apply. If you’re interested in taking part, make sure to check out my Instagram (@littlewildwolfe) and DM me with the category you’re interested in applying to.

My own studio practice is being overhauled. As I tackle making a tarot deck, I’m also working to help local businesses curate local artists and designers, developing a design brand with my husband, Cole Smith, and researching and developing new textiles and tapestries for fine art. All the while, I love doing pop-ups and markets and selling my super-accessible, lightweight textile earrings. You can find my earrings through Etsy, view and support the Phoenix Artist Directory through my Patreon, and follow all my work through Instagram. All of my work is centered on developing my own brand of creative living and creation, alongside investing deeply into the Phoenix arts community.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’m so lucky to have had the support of a wonderful community of people here in Phoenix: Wayne Coates for hiring me as a server at Welcome Diner and giving me a way to survive when I first landed in Phoenix.

Michelle Nunes, owner of the wonderful boutique NOONS, for hosting my work, my first Phoenix studio space, and encouraging my work.

And, of course, my husband, Cole Smith (a.k.a. Concrete Cole). Not only is he a wonderful and experienced artist himself, but has been an incredible partner and support to me and my artistic career.

Pricing:

• Phoenix Artist Directory subscription- starting at $5/month
• Textile Earrings – $20-$80
• Curation & Commissions – flexible, based on the project, starting at $20/hour
• Tarot & Astrology readings – $30

Contact Info:

• Email: littlewildwolfe@gmail.com
• Website: wolfe.work (only available with subscription through patreon)
• Instagram: littlewildwolfe
• Other: patreon.com/littlewildwolfe