ELIJAH CRAWFORD: Okay, So first things first: Walk me through how you went from finding these Vintage Playboy Magazines to crafting an entire exhibition?

DANIELLE CLOUGH: "Nearly 20 years ago, I was in Australia. I was like, 18. I was walking around a secondhand store with my best friend, and I just saw a magazine. I picked it up thinking it was gonna be controversial, and then I realized these images were fucking amazing.

EC: It's intriguing that you're taking these images and completely removing the context from them. This reimagining leaves so much open to interpretation.

DC: "I wanted the imagery to be strong enough. I don't want the hook to be antagonistic or confrontational. I want the work and the way that it makes somebody feel to be enough. The indulgence is in the color, the medium, the framing, as opposed to being in visual hooks that make it saucy. I knew that I was drawn to the content, and I kind of figured out why in the process. For me, it's really more process-orientated before it's conceptually and emotionally orientated. I was like, oh shit, these magazines aren’t even as subversive as I was probably hoping for. They were just really beautiful, you know? I'd been really into portraiture, doing pop culture references, and I wanted to get into figures. I feel these pieces came about somewhere between the nostalgia and the urge to repurpose imagery.

EC: There’s an Iris Apfel quote you love that says “color can raise the dead”. Feels a bit ironic you’re using your colors to bring dead media back to life, yeah?

DC: “I always work from black and white photos. It's a way of not feeling like I'm restricted by what the image should be. It's about stripping things back, making them even older, and then reimagining them with color. Color can literally bring these forgotten images back to life. It's not just about reproducing an image, but creating a conversation between past and present. These magazines aren't just artifacts; they're portals to another time."

EC: Even the exhibition name "Crewel Intentions" might be one of the slickest double entendres I’ve ever heard — I know when you came up with it, you were like, “hell yeah, I gotta tell somebody about this.”

DC: “I've always loved plays on words. I didn't want to take myself too seriously. It keeps me regulated. I only send my titles maybe a few days before the exhibition because I'm always ruminating — there's got to be a better version, there’s got to be a better version, there’s got to be a better version."

EC: Do you ever feel like you have to consistently come up with new concepts and ideas just to keep people interested?

DC: “Totally. Especially with social media, there’s this pressure to keep feeding the machine with new stuff. But I have to remind myself that not everything old is bad, and not everything new is good. Sometimes the best thing is just to sit with what you love and let it evolve naturally, not force it for the sake of novelty."

EC: How exactly do you navigate social media as an artist, especially one of your caliber who has generated a pretty massive following?

DC: “I keep all my personal stuff off Instagram. I want to make stuff that makes people feel fucking cool. I want it to be impressive. I want it to be interesting. I'm not going to dance like everyone else — the algorithm does not dictate my art.”

EC: What do you do when you hit a wall creatively? Because creative fatigue is no joke.

DC: "I think the best thing is to strip away distractions. I’ll go into my studio, leave my phone behind, and just tinker. Sometimes you just have to start making, even if it’s crap at first. The compulsion to create is always there, and once I get going, it usually sorts itself out." 

EC: It feels like a lot of your artistic drive is intrinsic, you seem to solely be in competition with yourself?

DC: "It's definitely ego-driven, like any creative who says they're egoless is lying. There's a compulsion to make, and then there's that little, itty bitty ego-centric need to prove myself to others and to myself. People can see this took time. They might hate how it looks, but they can see the intricate work and hopefully recognize there’s something special within the intentionality and tediousness of the craft. I'm just going to aim to make something that I think is beautiful. The meaning will come to me or it won't."

EC: The art world can be kind of a mess. Do you ever feel like you’re on the outside looking in, or are you just doing your own thing?

DC: "I used to think there was this pie and you had to fight for your piece, but now I realize it’s not like that at all. There’s no pie. It’s just this big, weird, fluid thing. I mean, I have self-doubt like anyone else, but at the end of the day, it’s none of my fucking business what people think about my work. If someone hates it, that’s fine. If they love it, that’s cool too. I just try to keep my head down and do the work."

EC: It’s interesting, because Knitting and Crochet for years felt like a cottage craft, it feels like there’s been a recent recognition of it as a true art form. Does it feel different now, from when you first started?

DC: “Honestly, it’s a mix. My mom used to sew, so there was always fabric and thread around, but I never thought of it as creative—just something people did. I studied fashion design for like two weeks, dropped out, then did advertising and graphic design. I think all those little detours just kind of stacked up and made me see things differently not just in the craft, but in life. 

EC: Embroidery seems like something anyone could do, but clearly not everyone can do what you do. Given the fact that you’ve hosted several workshops, it seems you feel invested in making this art form as accessible as possible.

DC: "I love teaching, but I don’t want to just be a teacher. I want to teach from a place of real experience, not just theory. I think it’s important not to be possessive about what you know. The world’s big enough for everyone to have a piece. I get a lot out of connecting with people through teaching, but I also want to keep growing myself."

EC: As it stands now, what's your perspective on your own artistic journey?

DC: "I never could have predicted that I would land up here... I've just realized, I'm just gonna do the internal work and the physical work that needs to be done that can potentially drive this forward. I have a lot of self-doubts. I think I might be a quarter of the way in terms of skill, versus where I want to be. I just can't help it."

This is the last weekend to view Danielle’s exhibition live at Paradigm Gallery in Philadelphia, PA.

For more of her work, you can find the artist on Instagram at @fiance_knowles. Upcoming future anrtist exhibitions are also posted online at the gallery’s social media page @paradigmgs on Instagram.

Exclusively for No Alibi Magazine.

Art by Danielle Clough presented at Paradigm Gallery in Philadelphia.

Interview courtesy of Elijah Crawford.