Kandy G Lopez’s powerful and stylish fiber portraits reflect a painter’s eye for detail.
In fiber, stained glass, and oil portraits, Kandy G Lopez captures the personalities and style of people of color. The Afro-Caribbean artist, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and teaches art and design at Nova Southeastern University, creates expressionistic portraits in thread and yarn on larger-than-life plastic mesh canvases, depicting her subjects’ highly detailed eyes, vivid clothing, and confident poses. Loose threads dangle off the canvases, as if the subjects might dance or wander off into the room. Though she has only been focusing on craft art since 2021, her work is powerful and self-possessed, demonstrating a strong sense of color theory and a painter’s eye for detail. Lopez wrote about her daily creative rituals—and the M&M’s and Bustelo coffee that fuel them—in “Rituals of Making” in the Spring 2024 issue of American Craft.

kandyglopez.com | @kandyglopez

How do you describe your work or practice in 50 words or less?
As an Afro-Caribbean visual artist, I’m eager to be challenged materially and metaphorically when representing marginalized individuals who inspire and move me. My works are created out of the necessity to learn something new about my people and culture. I’m interested in developing a nostalgic dialogue between the artwork and the viewer.

What draws you to portraiture? Can you tell us about a person you saw who particularly captivated you?
People are fascinating to me, especially people who carry themselves with confidence when life as a minority is difficult in America. I become inspired by the stories, the connections, and the narratives that are formed within the facial expressions of each represented individual. Kei (left) is an example of that.

Tell us about one fiber or stained glass portrait you’ve made that you’re particularly proud of. Why did you choose the subject? Why did you choose the material you did for that subject?
I’m always the most excited about the last piece I created because it feels like my technique is getting stronger. Rohan was the last large-scale portrait I created, and I think it’s the most detailed and has the best-looking New Balances.

What are your favorite kinds of fibers and yarns to work with?
My favorite kinds of fibers are those that have been donated. The thrift stores have the best surprises, and so do bags of yarn that people donate. It’s exciting to receive a donation of threads and yarn, because I think of ways of incorporating them and using them within my pieces.

If you could have work from any contemporary craft artist in your home, whose would it be and why?
YoYo Lander. Her patience for cutting paper and her knowledge of proportions is mesmerizing. I would love to own one of her works at some point. Her craftsmanship is like nothing I have seen before, and the choices in imagery reflect the importance of representing people of color.

Which craft artists, exhibitions, or projects do you think the world should know about, and why?
El Espacio 23’s current exhibition, To Weave the Sky, is one of the best, if not the best, fiber shows I have seen to date. The Jorge M. Pérez collection and the curatorial choices made me think of craft in a new light.