I’m thrilled to share this episode featuring artist/mother Letitia Huckaby, a hybrid photographer based in Benbrook, Texas. Her work is inspired by faith, family history, and African American heritage, and reflects both her own innovation and the creativity of generations of her female forebears. In this way, “transference” (as in photography) becomes not only a part of Letitia’s material practice, but also a metaphor for the ongoing operations of legacy.
Growing up in a military family stationed overseas, Letitia understood from an early age the role of history in everyday life as well as the gravity of artmaking that has persisted through the ages against all odds. She first began as a documentary photographer and telling stories through groups of images before turning towards more unconventional practices often incorporating textiles. She started experimenting on cotton fabric, and before long developed a personal visual language that combines photography and the charged history of cotton in the United States.
Letitia walks us through how her process has changed over the years, from learning to embrace the unexpected qualities and textures that emerge from the transfer process, to being magnetized to women’s stories and experiences, to working on new scales and “putting your artwork down for a nap” after children. We also talk about slowing down and savoring early motherhood, making space for collaboration in all its forms, and the importance of understanding partners — it doesn’t hurt when they’re also artists! — and finding balance through the ebb and flow of a supportive relationship.
See more of Letitia’s work on her website or on Instagram @huckabystudios
The Artist/Mother podcast is created and hosted by Kaylan Buteyn. You can see more of Kaylan’s work on her website or connect with her on Instagram @kaylanbuteyn
17 1/2” x 16″, 2019
https://www.lilianablochgallery.com/current
https://www.lilianablochgallery.com/current
https://www.lilianablochgallery.com/current
