Artist Spotlight: Jane Reichle

Each month, we highlight one of the talented artists in our reuse community. This month, it's textile artist, Jane Reichle! Jane reuses vintage clothing by adorning them with beautiful, intricately detailed embroideries. Each piece is one of a kind and completely hand stitched! Read more about what inspires Jane below! When did you start creating art?My interest in art began around the time I started attending public school at age 5. I spent my time during class drawing on the sides of my assignments instead of paying attention to the teachers. This continued all the way to high school graduation, and once I was spit out into the realm of adulthood, I began to realize that I could pursue my creativity as a career.   What is your preferred medium? My preferred medium is embroidery. I love embroidering unconventional and risqué designs to redefine the medium. When most people hear "embroidery," they think of pastel flowers and domesticity; I use embroidery to express my interest in anarchist, irreverent subcultures and I am often inspired by cult classic music and media.   What drives your creative spirit?My need to create is often compelled by my love of other art forms. Like other artists I have a need to express myself through my imagination, and I've been fascinated by fashion for as long as I can remember. I keep an eye on emerging designers and often draw inspiration from their collections as well as from cult classic 90's films and music. I learn about underground media through my friends in Austin, who are incredibly individualistic themselves. Most of my friends are the types that make up Austin's underground scene--the skaters, artists, and musicians. Living in real time with these unconventional types keeps my ideas flowing and my imagination active.   How has your art adapted during the pandemic?After losing my job at the beginning of the pandemic, I began taking my career in art seriously. Before the world changed I had been working full-time with Special Education and occasionally selling my art on the side. Once I began to put more hours into my craft, I realized that my embroidery had the potential to become a full-time career in the future. It wasn't until a year ago that I began putting in 20 - 30 hours of stitching each week, and that's when things began to really take off. I now work a part time job and on top of that I spend around 40 hours a week on embroidery. I usually clock in a 70 hour week, and this has opened many new doors for me. I only wish I had realized my potential sooner. I showed in my first gallery last month, and my clothing is currently being photographed on electronic musician Elohim in LA.   How does reuse play a part in your art?I have a love/hate relationship with the world of fashion. My innovative spirit is drawn to clothing design, but the waste and unethical production that comes with most modern fashion is a huge problem. I realized a while back that if I embroider vintage clothing I can avoid unethical practices while breathing life back into precious garments.   What compels you to donate to ACR? It’s incredibly important to me to support local businesses particularly in Austin, and especially those that encourage creativity and sustainability. Donating to ACR is also a small way to help other artist’s careers.   Do you have a favorite ACR find? What did you do with it?I go to ACR to find everything from zippers to leather scraps, but my favorite finds are always embroidery thread. Sometimes I find colors that have been discontinued in the craft store chains, and I can buy them all for a fraction of the original price. I have used thread from ACR to create some of my most elaborate pieces, like my Motherboard Jacket and Daniel Johnston Coat. Buying art supplies second-hand is a truly underrated practice.  Where can we find out more about your art?You can check out my portfolio and online store at ladybirdstudioatx.com, and keep track of all my new projects on my Instagram, @ladybird_studio_atx