Off The Wall Magazine Q&A with Wylie Garcia
5/1/2023
Maine. My connection to Maine began when I attended a Young Photographers Workshop in Rockport at the age of 17, but the connection strengthened while spending Summers in Boothbay Harbor with friends during my twenties and early thirties. Now, I have a home away from home on Long Island.
Inspiration. I am inspired by memories and dreams and the people I love and care about. My work is about tending to the memories of places and people.
Medium. I work in acrylic.
Artist Hero. I have three artist heroes who are painters. The first is Margurite Zorach who’s painting “Diana of the Sea '' is one of my all time favorites. It is part of the permanent collection at the Portland Art Museum and I never miss a chance to see it when I visit. My second Artist Hero is Katherine Bradford. I love the way she uses color, breaks up space and uses washes. I look at her work and I fall in love with potential possibilities of painting as a medium to translate the most basic human emotion. My third artist hero is John Walker. I attended a residency in Beijing, China with him when I was in grad school. He taught me how to pause and look at a painting and to ask it what it needs from me.
Studio. My studio is located in an old soda bottling factory in the historic arts district of Burlington Vermont. It is part of a collective of studios at S.P.A.C.E. Gallery which stands for Soda Plant Artist Creative Environment.
Where in Maine. Long Island, Maine is the primary location that is inspiring my work these days. I think about gathering wild flowers with friends and walking back to the cabin to arrange them as we prepare for more friends to arrive off the ferry. There is something dreamy about the island light and how when you step off the ferry time seems to stretch out and any sense of urgency disappears.
Fun Fact. I’ve got two goofy hound dog mixes that were Southern rescues named Charles and Tildy.
Education. I graduated from the University of Chicago with a background in alternative process photography. I ended up starting a small clothing company making upcycled t-shirts that I used to sell in a Portland lighting gallery called Ember Grove. In the early aughts I began painting and attended Massachusetts College of Art and Design for grad school, where I then went on to become a textile installation artist. I have attended many residencies, most notably at the Central Academy of Beijing, Vermont Studio Center, and the Fine Arts Work Center. I have received numerous grants and awards and fellowships most notably a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, a Sustainable Arts Fellowship, and a St. Botolph Foundation Fellowship Award.
Learn more about this artist:
Radio Maine podcast interview #124