Me: How long have you been doing art?
GA: I’ve been doing art seriously since 2003. However I got into art in high school.
Me: In your sculpture work what type of materials do you like to use the most?
GA: I really gravitate towards materials that make me feel in control. For instance with the wire I feel like I’m creating a 3 dimensional drawings. When I’m working with the wire, it’s not just using my mind to create the work; it’s my hands as well, which makes them in control. I also like to use fabric, such as nylon stockings, lace, tulle, and muslin and I feel that connects to my constant exploration of feminism.
Me: What are some other materials you like to use and how?
GA: I like to use clay, because it makes me use hands. More specifically I like molding the clay. Plaster is another material that I like to use because of the color. I like white, I like what white represents. It’s pure and clean, when I use plaster I try to keep it as clean as possible and I think that adds to the work.
Me: Your pieces are abstract, is there a reason why?
GA: I use abstraction as a form to allow the material to fully reach its potential. I don’t like to limit the material at all. When the material is limited, I feel like you can’t understand it.
Me: Your work is very organic; did you always make such organic artwork?
GA: No, there was a time where my work was very precise. For instance I had this image in my mind and I created that image exactly and I would never stray away from it. Now I don’t limit myself, I let what happens happen. If I did anything else it wouldn’t feel natural to me, it wouldn’t feel like collaboration with the material anymore. And that is how I see my work, it’s a collaboration with the material I choose to work with, and that is why my art is organic.
Me: So you try to bring out the soul of the material so to speak?
GA: Yes. My professor is always reminding us to use the material over and over again so the material starts to speak for itself. That process of working is fun to watch because you start to see the change that happens when the material is constantly being manipulated.
Me: Tell me about your process.
GA: Although now I am starting to make drawings before making a three-dimensional piece but I don’t let the drawing dictate what the sculpture will become. However, usually I start off with a material and just work with it. I do drawing sometimes, but it’s not how I usually start my process. A lot of the times it’s me constantly working with the material over and over again and whatever I have in the end is what I have. There is no precise way of how I work or what I set out to achieve in the beginning. Although now I am starting to make drawings before making a three-dimensional piece but I don’t let the drawing dictate what the sculpture will be. In my piece “Pairs” I took chicken wire and I rolled it up in to figure-like forms. I ripped tulle from a dress and I dunked it in a warm mixture of sugar and water and I draped the fabric over the wire pieces.
Me: That’s interesting, what other types of processes can you give me examples of?
GA: I would have to point out my fabric drawing. I ripped muslin and I draped it over a table and I drew on it in sections. I was not seeing the drawing as a whole as I created it, I was seeing it in sections. I started off first with a pencil drawing, and then I went over it again in crayon several times with different. Then I took paraffin wax with aloe vera and I coated the whole drawing. It actually gave it a very interesting skin like texture and that is something I did not expect.
Me: So for you part of the art is the process itself?
GA: Yes, to me it’s all about the process and the outcome is secondary. It if works if works, if it doesn’t, oh well. I’ll just start over and try something new.
Me: What type of artists do you draw your inspiration from?
GA: Constantin Brancussi for his simplistic sculptures. There is so much information in his sculptures yet no details. I also like Kiki Smith she tends to make artwork based on her own experiences. Jackson Pollock is another one. I loved how he used his whole body when making a painting. Also, Louise Bourgeois, she is a sculpture, I admire her not only for work, but also for her longevity in the art world. She was making work well into her 90’s, I hope to be that lucky.
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