q&a Archives - Art Business News

The Better Days Foundation Sparks Change

Art Business News — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 04:49:40 +0000

Art Business News recently caught up with Garret Nathan, an enterprising entrepreneur on a mission to use art as a means of inspiration for cleaning our country’s beaches. We wanted to know more and asked him a few questions in the following interview.

Please introduce yourself and your organization. Who you are and what is your organization’s vision?

My name is Garret Nathan, I’m the founder of the Better Days Foundation, a Florida based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting environmental sustainability. Our mission is twofold: to inspire and empower individuals to take action and make a positive impact on the environment, and to lead the way in organizing community beach cleanups to address the problem of plastic pollution.

Photo courtesy of Better Days Foundation

The first is to inspire, empower, and educate. Our motto, “Be the Spark,” encapsulates our belief that every person has the power to make a difference. By educating the public about the dangers of littering and plastic debris on beaches and in oceans, and by encouraging small, everyday actions like picking up trash while enjoying a day at the beach, we aim to inspire individuals to take ownership of their impact on the environment.

Second, through our community beach cleanups, we demonstrate the power of collective action. By bringing people together to work towards a common goal, we can clean hundreds of miles of Florida’s beaches in just a few hours. The money raised through our charity event will be used to continue organizing these cleanups and educating the public about the dangers of plastic pollution. Join us in our mission to “Be the Spark” and create real, tangible change for the environment.

Photo courtesy of Better Days Foundation

What is your background?

After college I started throwing parties in South Florida, as a DJ and Producer. Most of these were raves where I was able to play and get exposure for my music. I ended up throwing some big events and even headlining a few parties but felt like something was missing. It was right around that time that I met a person who became a very close friend that was throwing charity concerts. I ended up helping him produce a few events that benefited different charities and was hooked. I felt that if I had the ability to organize and throw events, I should start to help charities and organizations raise money to help them continue their missions. And I did, but eventually stopped as more profitable opportunities came up but always knew I would eventually get back to it.

Photo courtesy of Better Days Foundation

Tell us about your work philosophy.

I have always worked fifteen or more hours a day. Working in event production and the crazy hours required allows me to carry that drive to what I do now. I am a firm believer that hard work pays off and I feel like the Better Days Foundation is the perfect example. In three years with almost no budget, we have cleaned over 550 miles of beaches, removing over 30,000 pounds of garbage. I am now going to be part of Artexpo New York, one of the most prestigious art events in the world, doing an article for Art Business News, one of the most respected art magazines in the world, and speaking at some incredible conferences. If I’m dreaming don’t wake me.

I am the only one in my foundation, I do everything from creating graphics to cold calling companies to see if they would like to participate in upcoming events. I haven’t taken a paycheck in three years as we haven’t made enough money to do so. As a start-up business, especially a charity foundation, it has taken a while begin to gain the traction to sell sponsorships and receive donations. I have made some serious sacrifices because I feel the work we are doing will help save our planet. I love what I do. I wake up every morning and say to myself, “Let’s save the planet today” and that’s what I do.

How did the Better Days Foundation get started?

In 2017, I was not doing well. I had hurt my back and had been out of work for months. My car had stopped working and without the money to fix it, I sold it for scrap and was living in a hotel. I was in a very dark place but remembered the joy I got from helping charities in the past. With Christmas coming up and myself having never had the best holidays, I wanted to help sick kids in a local hospital by collecting toys for them. So, I rented a car and began my mission.

What I thought would happen was I could go around in a week, get as many businesses as possible to put a box in their store to collect toys, then be done with the rental car and return it until I needed it to collect the toys a few weeks later. I figured that every store must have a box they could use, I would email them a flyer to put on the box and start advertising. In reality, they didn’t have boxes available and it would be all up to me. I rented a car for several weeks as I identified toy drop locations, collected and decorated boxes, delivered the boxes, and collected the toys and dropped them off at the hospital. But the feeling I got from dropping those toys off at the hospital was worth the struggle and the Better Days Foundation was born.

I continued with the toy drives until 2019 when the pandemic hit, and I lost my job. I was receiving the pandemic unemployment benefits and thought if I’m not working, I should do something positive with the time I had on my hands. I live close to the beach and saw how bad the problem of pollution was. It was also right around this time that scientists discovered micro-plastics in a mother’s placenta and made the announcement that each of us has about a credit card’s worth of plastic in our bodies. I figured this was a problem that I could help solve.

To make an Impact on a global problem, it would have to be something big. Local cleanups have been amazing. We run more than twelve local cleanups a year but they don’t do much to inspire change as there is almost no coverage, publicity, or marketing for them. Our cleanups didn’t do much to inspire others to join nor did they result in the global impact I wanted to create. My idea of breaking a world record for longest consecutive cleanup was born.

Photo courtesy of Better Days Foundation

The longest cleanup to that point was approximately 15 miles so my goal was to achieve 16 miles. The plan was to set up a large enough cleanup area that just speaking about it attracted attention while giving the best opportunity to break the record. The original attempted cleanup area was 110 miles of Florida’s shore, from Hobe Sound to Virginia Key. I broke the beach down into half mile segments, assigning every half mile a check point number. The idea was that volunteers can simply pick a checkpoint close to their homes and by walking a half mile the day of the event, picking up plastic and garbage as they went. In a few hours, we could potentially clean 110 miles of Florida’s coastline, showing how even the small act of walking a half mile picking up some debris can add up when an entire community comes together.

But there was one huge problem. The day I chose was conceivably one of the worst days to hold a cleanup: December 19, five days before Christmas. Not only had I decided to break a world record cleanup in the middle of a generational pandemic with stores and businesses closed everywhere, and jobs shut down, but I chose to do it the last weekend before Christmas.

My thoughts went from visions of grandeur to hoping to at least clean a few miles and having a nice base for planning the next cleanup. We not only broke the record with almost 25 consecutive miles cleaned and a total of almost 43 miles, I learned a valuable lesson that day. People want to help; they just don’t know how. Even in the middle of a generational pandemic five days before Christmas, we had over 400 volunteers take time out of their days to help us clean our beaches and the motto of the Better Days Foundation was realized — “Be the Spark.” From then on, my goal and the goal of my Foundation has been just that, to inspire change throughout the world.

Photo courtesy of Better Days Foundation

To date we have cleaned over 550 miles removing over 30,000 pounds of garbage and have expanded our projects in the hopes of “Being the Spark of Change” around the world. Using art and technology, our goal is to continue to inspire change by Being the Spark.

What are some of your current projects?

We are planning to clean over 900 miles and collect over 35,000 pounds of harmful debris during our cleanups this year. We are also creating an incredible series of events centered around our cleanups, powered by the latest in cutting-edge technology. This includes an awe-inspiring first of its kind series of environmental mural installations with an augmented reality twist.

These murals will bring more awareness to the ocean and how pollution directly affects us by creating a first-of-its-kind Mural Project with an Augmented Reality twist creating a Walkable Art Gallery throughout our community using sewer drains and the surrounding sidewalk as our canvas. These drainage ditches have no filtration on them and any garbage on the street is flushed directly into our oceans. The murals will help create awareness. Some of the drains will begin to have an augmented reality layer, coming to life with incredible animations when scanned with a phone.

Art is powerful, the smallest piece can be the loudest. Art can speak to thousands a day for thousands of years in every conceivable language without saying a word. The Better Days Foundation is harnessing the power of art using cutting-edge technology to Be the Spark to create global change with a series of charity art auctions. We are curating an incredible collection of art, both physical and digital, created by an amazing collection of artists from around the world. All the works will be auctioned at our charity art auctions.

We are also inviting our artists to select a secondary charity where they live, and the Better Days Foundation will donate 50% of the profits from the sale of their work to the that charity. We will organize the auctions and incur all of the related costs for the event, going back to our motto, Be The Spark. Our goal is to help create global change and by funding other organizations also doing incredible things around the world, we can help achieve this. We will use these events as our first series of virtual events — using virtual reality and the metaverse to allow anyone anywhere in the world to view our pieces and participate in the auction.

Additionally, we are creating an incredible series of NFTs, highlighting the pollution we find in the ocean as well as the digital Art pieces created by our Artists. All the profits from the NFT sales and all our physical art pieces go to funding our projects.

We are creating the Better Days Foundation’s token economy and the tokenization of our beach cleanups. This revolutionary concept will allow our volunteers to earn crypto-currency tokens that can be used at businesses and restaurants throughout the cleanup area to pay for their purchases. These tokens can only be earned through volunteer activities and will allow businesses to sponsor our project by creating a token within our economy with its own unique features. Each token will be uniquely designed creating stunning pieces that the volunteers can spend, hold onto in the hopes they will increase in value while using the special benefits each token holds, or sell them allowing our volunteers to monetize their efforts to Be the Spark and help inspire change around the world.

The creation of our plastic credits, similar to carbon credits but based on our cleanup activities, will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint and allow the Better Days Foundation and other organizations to monetize their cleanup efforts and help fund their projects.

How have artists and art been involved with your organization?

Without art and the incredible artists I have the privilege to work with, I don’t think we would be able to get our message out and certainly not be able to connect with people from around the world as I have been able to do. With artists, their work, and their desire to help save our planet and create change where they live, it is through their creations we can Be the Spark of change while creating a global impact. Their generosity will help allow us to continue our mission to save our planet.

Photo courtesy of Better Days Foundation

What is the best advice you’ve received?

The best advice I’ve ever received wasn’t from a single individual but something I’ve heard and read about countless times from individuals that went from having nothing to creating something successful. “Never give up.” No matter how hard it gets, no matter how much you may be suffering, never quit! All the accounts from founders of incredible companies that started out living out of their cars or living and working out of a garage or a basement. They weren’t worried about what others thought or what they were sacrificing because they so deeply believed in themselves and their projects and wouldn’t quit because they knew in their hearts it would work.

I still remember the first time I saw the picture that showed where ten of the most successful companies in the world started out, companies like Google, Harley, Mattel, and Disney. It highlighted how hard work and sacrifice can pay off without saying a word, simply pictures of the garages they started in with the name of the company that had been created there, like the phrase “never give up” that image always stuck with me, and even in some of the hardest times, I would think about that picture. It still keeps me pushing to succeed in our goal to help save our planet.

Photo courtesy of Better Days Foundation

Where can we find you when you’re not working?

As the founder and sole employee of a foundation running over fifteen cleanups, running nine projects, and organizing the more than twenty events we’re attending this year, I don’t have much free time. I sneak out to the beach three or maybe four times a week for a quick beach cleanup, most of the time alone. It’s an amazing way to completely zone out, my sole focus being to clean the beach. It really is my happy place. People say if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I think you can add a line to that phrase, “If you find what it is you truly love to do, you do it all the time.”

What does partnering with Redwood and Artexpo New York mean to you?

This is such an incredible honor; I have had an ear to ear smile all week. The phrase if I’m dreaming don’t wake me up comes to mind. Working with one of the most prestigious companies in the art community, being a part of one of the most prestigious art fairs in the world is crazy to even think about, there’s such an amazing feeling of validation. In three years, we have gone from wondering about anyone even showing up for the first cleanup to real recognition. To this point we have not received much exposure for the incredible work our volunteers have accomplished, the work my foundation is doing, or the projects we are working on. For the first time, thanks to Redwood Art Group and the opportunity to be a part of Artexpo New York, we finally get to step into the spotlight and tell our story. With your help through the power of art we can raise more awareness for the Better Days Foundation and the environmental problem we are facing while cleaning more of our environment. And this makes Redwood Art Group and Artexpo New York the spark of change.

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About Garret Nathan: Garret has extensive experience organizing large outdoor events. He believes using a more earth friendly approach to wellness and living in harmony with our planet are paramount to a sustainable future. He is the founder of Better Days Foundation.

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Meet the Artist: Joshua Rios – Art San Diego 2022

Linda Mariano — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 01:50:46 +0000

Abstract artist, Joshua Rios will be exhibiting at Art San Diego 2022. Continue reading to learn more about Joshua and his work.

Q: Who are you and what do you do?

A: I am Joshua Rios, 33 years old, a California native now residing in San Diego. I am an oil painter in abstract, expressionism, realism, and allover styles. When I’m not painting, I work as a k-12 visiting teacher for San Diego Unified. I also play guitar, make frames, and write novels and short stories.

Q: What is your background?

A: Beginning in high school I took art and ceramic classes for electives. I did not know then how important art would be in my life, so I merely enjoyed them without expectation. While going to community college I started painting on my own to decorate my bedroom walls, and eventually took several art classes, from general sketching to advanced painting. While earning my bachelor’s degree at San Jose State University I continued painting in my spare time and began creating digital artwork. During my years in San Jose, I was accepted into the Kaleid art gallery downtown for local artists and was a vendor for many art fairs in San Jose’s SOFA district, such as first Fridays and their multi-day subZERO art festival.

Q: How do you work?

A: When painting at home I put away all distractions, sometimes working in complete silence or playing instrumental music in the background. Working with oil requires patience; it takes a while for the paint to set. But since I don’t have any, I am often working on multiple paintings at a time between sessions. Whether painting on site or in my home I absorb myself entirely and work as swiftly as I can. I will paint until a subject is finished or the canvas is completely wet and I can no longer add layers. I try to be efficient and plan out the amount of time and sessions I will work on a single painting. However, this is hardly the case and I accept my process must be free to continue as long as it takes. The process is a journey. I can only control it so much before I find myself working with a painting as much as on it.

Q: What art and artist do you most identify with? How have they influenced you?

A: For whatever reason I have always found that abstract paintings resonate the most with me. I remember first learning about Jackson Pollock in high school during art class when our art teacher showed us one of his most famous works (number 31). I was so pleased to know that his style of art was valued in the world. This was before I had ever painted a picture in my life, yet I knew once I had the freedom I would create the same style of painting. I believe artists are inherently intuitive.

Learning about Van Gogh’s artwork was a similar experience for me. Viewing his sketch, The Postman, was the first time I recognized an artist’s style without seeing their signature. The professor showed the sketch and I instantly knew it was Van Gogh. It is like his signature is embedded within the artwork itself, that is how distinct his style is. And that is something I strive for as an artist. Whenever I paint scenes and subjects, I am always thinking of Van Gogh’s creative perspective and vibrant imagination.

I also must mention Pablo Picasso, who I love for his fun, and simple yet sophisticated subjects. His paintings blossom in the imagination and take the edge off the seriousness of life. He is another artist who makes me confident in pursuing my own style with no expectations but my own.

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: I started painting to experiment with color and design and decorate my walls. I was hooked when I realized how much artwork can positively change a living space and add to our lives. The more I painted the more ideas I had, and I fell in love with the possibilities. I look forward to bringing more unique artworks into the world for myself and others to enjoy. My favorite experience has been rediscovering a years-old painting and being inspired and reassured by it. It’s like receiving a message from your younger self hoping to tell you how talented you were yesterday, are today, and will be tomorrow.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: I learned many years ago that good advice can come from anywhere. One day while painting outside my apartment, my neighbor, an older gentleman who comes from a family of musicians, was walking out of his house and saw me working. He approached my station and asked what I was up to. I told him I was just experimenting with some paintings. He studied my work and then said, “you know, eventually it just comes down to proficiency. How proficient are you at what you do? Because not everybody’s going to like the same stuff. But if you can be proficient at what you do, then you’re doing alright, man.” That might have been the first time I thought of myself as having a distinct style of painting and realizing it doesn’t have to please everybody.

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?

A: When I am not working I am working. My day job as an educator keeps me busy during the week. When I come home, I rest, eat, and then start painting, practicing music, or working on a writing project. But aside from work and home, I enjoy exercising, either at the gym, the park or just around my neighborhood. I like to get out in nature and take hikes or just walk around the city and find a new restaurant to eat at. Sometimes I go out and listen to live music on the weekends at a few different venues. You can find me at Balboa Park, walking through the museums, enjoying the scenery, or just passing through. I also go to Mission Bay or any of the beaches in San Diego when I want to swim or just relax outside.

Q: How has your career as an artist shifted during the past two years? And did the pandemic have an influence on your art?

A: Two years ago I was not engaged with growing my career as an artist. I painted on a whim, reluctant to share my new work with others just yet. I had only just started painting again in 2018 when I moved into my own apartment in San Diego after not painting for 6 months. Over the pandemic, I completed several works that broke me through to a whole new level of expectation for myself. I knew it was time to start selling my paintings in San Diego once the pandemic was over. The most significant thing I did was build my website, which is now my most valuable tool as both a storefront and portfolio.

I painted only two pandemic-influenced paintings. One was at the beginning of the lockdown and the other was right before I caught covid-19, which ironically portrayed how it felt being ill. It’s a painting called The Blues on my website. Aside from the pleasant downtime, the pandemic provided me, I tend to keep it well in the rearview mirror and do not remember it often.

Attending Art San Diego 2022? Make sure to stop by booth #324 to meet Joshua and see more of his pieces!

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Meet the Artist: Jayson Fate

Hannah Smith — Fri, 28 May 2021 20:36:37 +0000

Jayson Fate is a commission artist based in Chicago, Illinois. His work has appeared in nightclubs and bars around Chicago. Get to know Jayson below!

Q: Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?

A: My name is Jayson Fate. I am a full-time collage mixed media artist working in Chicago. I have been a commission artist for 22 years and have projects where I have pulled in on bars, nightclubs, hair and nail salons, and residential interior and exterior design projects. Looking to expand markets and development towards the art community.

Q: What is your background?

A: I am told I am an “outsider artist” 4$HO!

Q: What art do you most identify with?

A: POP but anything that catches my eye. Modern or contemporary art. I love minimalist art as well as street artists. I love when someone has created something that engineers design or has functionality as well.

Q: How Do You Work?

A: Most of my work has been some divine intervention. God has blessed me and honestly, I roll day by day. The art just happens organically and when I need cash I push a bit. I archive images that interest me from tear sheets, books, magazines, any form of mixed media even garbage I find on my litter cleanups and create. I love commission work because it sharpens my focus and pays well. I will collage by hand with images and Mod Podge on multiple surfaces. In the beginning, I started on plywood or canvas. I found collage on a hard surface was a faster process so I started gluing tables, cabinets, walls, SPEAKERS, and who knows what’s next. I have been on a POPART series for some time, mostly musicians. I love music and will admit it was my first love. The art flows really well and does not feel heavy or frustrating which past pieces have. The eyeballs are changing so my style has been as well. “City of the Century” was the beginning of a new technique and I love the way they look.

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: Wow, I would have to say just the amount of art that has been created and what is still to come! I am amazed by this, it is the reason to continue also look back at what has been molded. Now with NFT’s in sight, I feel like I can make sense of the reward in the future. As an artist, you experience tears of joy, terrible gaps of income but I continue and seriously grateful to provide to this day. This world is a world of patience and productivity. As David Lee Roth quoted, “AFTER 10 years or 10,000 hours of what you drive towards, you earn the right title…Wasabi!” I got Wasabi. (It sounds better coming from his voice)

Q: Who inspires you?

A: My family, some friends. I draw inspiration from prayer and the vision of other art. Sunshine helps, good people, music inspires me tremendously, that is why I honor those who touched me.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: 1.) Do EVERYTHING with love.

2.) Show up with your talent.

3.) The hand is the overflow of the heart.

4.) Life does not hand you anything without asking for something in return.

5.) Enjoy this day because it is not coming back.

Q: How Has Your Career As An Artist Shifted in the Past Year?

A: Cleaning, I run a pretty tight ship. BTW I challenge ANYONE who has a cleaner neighborhood than mine. It is the cleanest in the world. That’s where you will find me OR the gym.

Q: How has your career shifted in this past year?

A: Great question, I have definitely purged things I do not need and had more time to organize my work/life environment. I am more focused to be in the public eye however that manifests.

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Meet the Artist: Tysen Knight

Hannah Smith — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 21:41:51 +0000

Q: Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?

A: I’m an Artist, Mentor, and Award-Winning Film Producer. I’m primarily focusing on street art based in Palm Springs, California. I partnered with the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission where we started a test pilot project for public art with the street bench program last year that was approved by the city. This program has now expanded around the entire city including the Palm Springs International Airport, City Hall, and the Convention Center. We were able to hire over 50 artists during the pandemic to help stimulate the local economy as well as uplift the morale and spirit of the community.

Q: What is your background?

A: I have always been artistic since I was a small child growing up in New Jersey. I really discovered my art style as a teenager, airbrushing and painting on jeans for classmates and kids that lived in my neighborhood. I started making logos for local businesses. My parents encouraged me to pursue my art and creativity, which built confidence in me. As I started to develop my craft, I received more opportunities, which led me to where I am today.

Q: How do you work?

A: I love to create. I get lost in my work where I lose all space and time. My artwork is a reflection of my desire to share my talent and gifts with the world. I can only genuinely create from my own inspiration. My mission is to produce artwork that can be admired by generations to come.

Q: What art do you most identify with?

A: I identify most with street art, contemporary art, modern art, and fine art. I am a gallery artist but most of my work consists of public artwork and wall mural projects.

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: Mentoring is one of the highlights of my career. Spending time with my students through Zoom has its challenges, but we are able to impact these young artists in an effective way. Actually, it has made us grow closer as a group. I learn so much from these amazing students and also discover things about myself as well, so when we are able to meet again in person, it will be an extraordinary and important bonding moment.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: I’m inspired by the works of famous street artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol. My inspiration also comes from the styles of Pablo Picasso.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: Number one, your gift and your purpose have to align. If you’re gifted and you get to the point of success in your life without a purpose, someone else is going to give you a purpose, and it might not be in your best interest! Your talent and your purpose must align for you to be the best version of yourself. Understand the value that you can contribute to society and work to manifest that value every day.

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?

A: I don’t think I ever stop working. I’m always discovering new ideas and creativity. I read books, watch art documentaries, and spend time with family and loved ones.

Q: How has your career as an artist shifted during the past year?

A: The pandemic has given me the opportunity to really test my creativity and push myself to realize the potential in my newfound clarity. I have been fortunate enough to remain busy with public art and private mural projects during the past year. I have been blessed with the opportunity to share my artwork with people from around the world. That’s a powerful and humbling experience!

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Meet the Artist: Deb Wight

Hannah Smith — Tue, 12 May 2020 19:01:23 +0000

Q: Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?

A: My name is Deb Wight and I am a creator. Art is in my soul, it is my true passion. My artwork is created using glass, which I hand cut myself and form each piece together to develop unique designs. I love experimenting with the layout and seeing how an image can be altered completely when the glass is laid flat or on its side. Once the glass is laid out, it gets placed onto a birch panel where I cover it in a treated copper and then finish with a resin pour. Aside from creating art, I also love doing art shows. Meeting people and seeing those who admire my work is an exciting feeling.

Q: What is your background?

A: I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. My talent developed at a young age and was nurtured through school and into college, where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. I’ve experimented with many forms of media over the years: pastels, mosaics, photography, acrylics on canvas, and stained glass. Before creating art full time, I had a real job for 20 years working as a computer programmer, which was creative in a way, but not nearly as fulfilling as being an artist. After being laid off, I was able to dedicate myself to art full time.

Q: How do you work?

A: I work in my studio, which was thoughtfully designed into my home in the Texas Hill Country. Being inspired by nature, we designed the studio to be full of windows. I work standing at my large table every day surrounded by the beauty of Texas.

Q: Which type of art do you most identify with?

A: Contemporary work is my favorite to both create and observe. I am moved by color and design.

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: An army base in San Antonio, Texas approached me to construct a work of art ten times the size of anything I have ever created. I developed the piece and today it hangs at the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio to salute and honor our disabled veterans. It was truly a blessing to create.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: For years, I was inspired by the artists I met during art shows. Recently, an artist, Shima Shanti, has become a huge inspiration to me. Shima is accomplishing a lot and establishing herself in the art world, which inspires me to increase my game. It has become clear to me that I want to be a successful artist and I feel the ambition to make it happen.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: An artist and I were once discussing selling art at shows, something he had been doing for years unlike myself. I was worried about selling and my success, so he advised me was to work large. He said, “you will never sell a $4,000 piece if you never hang one in your booth.”

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?

A: When I’m away from my studio, I can be found doting over my toy poodle, Daisy June. She is truly a member of the family. My husband, Albert, and I have lovingly spoiled her. We both also enjoy entertaining family and friends and we love traveling. Our travels always inspire me to create new and fresh work.

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Meet the Artist: Grace Chadwick

Hannah Smith — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 21:49:27 +0000

Q: Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?

A: My name is Grace Chadwick. I’m a sculptor working mostly in fiberglass, plastic, photography, and metal. I was born in the San Francisco Bay area in 1967, and grew up near Portland, Oregon. I now live outside of Seattle, Washington, and have a shop in the Okanagan-Similkameen in BC, Canada and Fishhawk Lake, Oregon.

Q: What is your background?

A: I always had a camera in my hand as a kid, I did things backward and began as a stringer photographer for The Oregonian newspaper when I was in High School. Then, I headed to the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara and found that I am much better at teaching myself. I headed back to Portland after school to experiment with sculpting materials. Finally, when YouTube came out, a whole new world opened up for me. I learned how to plasma cut metal and weld without traditional instruction in a classroom. I would rent equipment, watch YouTube, purchase equipment, and lose all track of time, slowly becoming a night owl.

Q: How do you work?

A: In solitude. I work on several pieces at a time, especially with fiberglass as there is a long cure time for each layer. I also like to let my art “sit” before tackling it again. I am constantly trying to get the art out of my head and dreams and into the shop. I am obsessed with experimenting with transparency and light with new materials.

Q: Which type of art do you most identify with?

A: Contemporary art that forces me to think of the meaning behind it.

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: Just one?! My current art project, which is a permanent installation on a 145 ft wall outside in the new development on the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington. Also having the opportunity to install my “Flower Kisses” at the Spectrum Miami / Red Dot Miami entrance in Miami…the best learning experience.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: All artists that are true to themselves and make art the way they want to make it, to the core.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: From my dad: “If something like the plumbing goes out, try and fix it yourself and if it still doesn’t work, you can THEN call the plumber.” I’m sure this is why I’ve always thought I could learn skills on my own without help.

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?

A: Skydiving or scuba diving. Adventuring where it is not too touristy.

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