A short but sweet interview with Sergio Garcia for his upcoming show ‘GUMBO’ at Thinkspace Gallery. ‘GUMBO’ will be featuring new pieces from seven Thinkspace artists who all bring a different style, voice, and flavor to their art. ‘GUMBO’ opens Saturday April 25th from 6-9pm, and will be on view till May 16th.
SH: What artist in the upcoming ‘Gumbo’ show would you want to collaborate with and why?
SG: This Question is crazy! Ha! Not trying to sound to cliché or Miss America style. Everyone is rad and so diverse it would really depend on what we were trying to achieve with the project or collaboration.
SH: When do you get the most work done; morning, noon, or night?
SG: I get the most work done around noon time. Nighttime I do a lot of prep work and research. I’m pretty much 24/7 but around noon is when I’m completely in the zone.
SH: In three words, describe your artwork.
SG: Completely Throwed Off
SH: How long does it take you to finish a piece? What is your processes?
SG: It depends on the piece but generally a week or two. I bounce around a lot and sometimes I assembly line them. So it may take a month to produce a few. I do a few different types of processes. I enjoy welding metal. I’ve recently gotten into glass blowing. Some of my sculptures involve shiny automotive paint and others flat oil based. I think it helps me feel more free when I do different mediums. I’m constantly thinking of what’s next or how is this going to be possible. It’s like being in a band. You’re glad the Album finally came out but you’re working on the next one in your head.
SH: Do you remember the first time you showed your work to the public? Where was it?
SG: Yes for sure. I was completely terrified. I still am to an extent.
SH: Do you have any wise words for a fledgling artist who admires your work?
SG: Be yourself. Don’t try to impress everyone. You’ll know when you found “it” and it’s ok to reinvent yourself. Think of art as communication. It’s great if they admire, but you want them to feel it.
SH Bonus Question: Speaking of gumbo, have you ever been to New Orleans? If so, tell us a tale! If not, tell us another tale.
SG: My wife does Burlesque so I go to New Orleans every once and a while. I remember one time a guy was giving a ghost tour to some tourist. He almost sounded like he was rapping. So I started beat boxing out loud as I was walking by. He immediately went into Beastie Boys Paul Revere. Then a large crowd walking by screamed “We took an empty spot next to him at the bar”. It was pretty classic.
