Gladys Serrano Flores
Hello!
I am Gladys, a textile artist and educator from Puerto Rico.
I am passionate about natural dyeing and painting, screen printing and exploring other media of printing and textile construction.
In 2011 I launched Textile Surfaces, a unique program of workshops for the general public, with the mission of promoting textile art applied to the creation of personal projects with an expressive approach and also for the development of unique pieces and/or small-scale production.
Proyecto TENAPURI
In parallel with my workshops, I have dedicated the last 11 years to the TENAPURI Project (Natural Dyeing in Puerto Rico), a research project on local dyes. I have been able to work on various methods of extracting dyes from plants and trees, mostly native to the island. On this extensive journey, each plant and tree has shown me its unique dyeing qualities, as well as the proper extraction methods taking into account the seasons and other variables.
Textile Art
Diana Caoba
Tunic installation of seeds and plants
Hanging: organza tunic dyed with woody mahogany fruit; appliqué filled with seeds, seed capsule sliced and sewn. 2024
Del Dulce Sueño
(From the Sweet Ground)
33” x 62” approx. Naturally dyed, painted and printed (stenciled) with ferrous sulfate on flannel; botanical transfers on cotton. 2024
Indigo
In 2019 I found an indigofera suffruticosa plant growing in my neighborhood. I had been looking for it everywhere I went but it was closer than I expected. I collected some seeds and planted them, soon after I had small indigo plants ready to be transplanted. Since then I have gone through all types of planting and pigment extraction methods. It’s been a slow learning process but I look forward to the next stage of this project.