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Artist Snapshot: Oscar Garcia

Oscar Garcia artist interview[1]
Oscar Garcia at work in his studio, 2022

At what age did you decide to become an artist?

I was four-years-old. According to my dad, I would draw all over the walls. On the patches of cement around the plumbing, I would notice variations within their gray tonality that revealed humanoid forms.

How did your parents react when you told them you wanted to be an artist?

My grandfather was a well-known sculptor in South America, so it was easy for my parents to understand the connection. It skipped a generation, as they say.

Who are your favorite artists?

Alberto Giacometti[2] and Oscar Niemeyer[3].

Who is your favorite artist whose work is unlike your own?

Goya[4].

Art book you cannot live without? Oscar Garcia artist interview

Anything on pre-Columbian art or Greek mythology.

What is the quality you most admire in an artist?

Perseverance and the acceptance of error without self-judgment.

Do you keep a sketchbook? Oscar Garcia artist interview

Yes, I draw first and write after.

What’s your favorite museum in all the world?

Museo Giacomo Manzù[5] in Ardea, Italy.

What’s the best exhibition you have ever attended?

Goya’s Graphic Imagination[6] at The Met.

If you were not an artist, what would you be?

A combination of sociologist and anthropologist.

Did you have an artistic cohort that influenced your early creative development?

My father and mother plus number of artists from the Art Students League of New York.

What is one thing you didn’t learn in art school that you wish you had?

Philosophy and French.

What work of art have you looked at most and why?

Goya’s work, as a whole, because of how its reflects the anthropological and physiological circumstances of his time.

What is your secret visual pleasure outside of art?

Soccer and biking. Both offer me another level of observation in which to see the world.

Do you listen to music in your studio? Oscar Garcia artist interview

I listen to music not only in my studio but also everywhere else.

What is the last gallery you visited?

I don’t do galleries; I prefer the outside surroundings.

Who is an underrated artist people should be looking at?

The Incas in South America believe in Pachamama as the great creator. Mother Nature is the underrated artist to us human beings and especially to me. She is like all the artists and common artisans who quietly work and move, inspiring others.

What art materials can you not live without?

Bronze, wax, paper, wood.

Do you paint/sculpt/create art every day? Oscar Garcia artist interview

I am constantly moving, so its inevitable to create or conjure ideas, words, or theories that I sketch on any surface.

What is the longest time you went without creating art?

After my father’s death, I took a job for three years navigating on a ship as crew member during which time I drew and wrote, while sailing the ocean and stopping at different ports.

What do you do when you are feeling uninspired?

Nothing, and with no pressure, I allow myself to enjoy many other activities.

What are the questions that drive your work?

What is the relationship between humans and with their surroundings?

What is the most important quality in an artist?

Perseverance.

What is something you haven’t yet achieved in art?

Full communication.

What is the best thing about art in the era of social media?

The best thing about social media is that it gives artists a line of direct communication with their audience. In some ways, it skips the need of the gallery, which could potentially result in more direct opportunities, exposure, and financial benefit.


OSCAR GARCIA[7] teaches Sculpting in Wax[8] at the Art Students League of New York. Oscar Garcia artist interview

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://asllinea.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/thumbnail_image0-1.jpeg
  2. Alberto Giacometti: https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/alberto-giacometti
  3. Oscar Niemeyer: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/stunning-modern-architecture-oscar-niemeyer
  4. Goya: https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/artist/goya-y-lucientes-francisco-de/39568a17-81b5-4d6f-84fa-12db60780812?searchMeta=goya
  5. Museo Giacomo Manzù: http://www.polomusealelazio.beniculturali.it/index.php?it/247/museo-giacomo-manz
  6. Goya’s Graphic Imagination: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2020/goyas-graphic-imagination
  7. OSCAR GARCIA: https://artistoscargarcia.com/
  8. Sculpting in Wax: https://theartstudentsleague.org/instructor/oscar-garcia/