Today we’d like to introduce you to France Garrido.
Hi France , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
‘France Garrido is best known for her highly detailed and intricate mixed media/collage works that exemplify the Visionary & Surrealist genre. Born in NYC’.
My work incorporates sacred geometry, specifically the circle and the circle in the square, developing my own visual language.
As a young girl I visited The Met, where I witnessed Dali’s ‘The Crucifixion’. This painting had a profound influence on me. I was transfixed; standing in front of this painting cemented in me a desire to be an artist and I felt that I was standing in front of the most incredible painting ever created!
Several years ago I received a grant to study the Mexican Mural Masterpieces in Mexico City, Cuernavaca and Taxco, which greatly influenced my art making, I was introduced to Siqueiros, Rivera, Camerena et al. Simultaneously I began my deep exploration into collage, which grew into a lifelong passion.
I co-founded the Collage/Assemblage Society, NYC and became Jonathan Talbot’s, studio assistant. I have consistently developed my own unique style of mixed media/collage, utilizing appropriated, self-generated and manipulated images along with a host of other elements.
My work has been exhibited internationally as well as in Beijing at the UN Conference on Women. In 2009 I was selected for inclusion in ‘Lexicon der Phantastischen Kunstler’, authored by Gerhard Habarta, internationally known historian on Surreal, Visionary, Symbolic & Fantastic Art.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think it’s a smooth road for many artists. There are always highs and lows, and learning how to navigate those ups and downs is part of being an artist.
One of the biggest challenges is simply making a living from your work. Selling artwork can be difficult, and finding a supportive audience or market often takes time. The reality is that most artists must think about practical things like paying rent, buying food, covering the cost of art materials at the same time making connections. Those concerns are always present and can be a strong motivation outside of the work itself.
At the same time, the creative process has its own challenges. Making the work, staying committed to it, and continuing to grow as an artist requires a different kind of persistence. For me, it’s always been a balance between the practical realities of life and the desire to keep creating.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Nature and Spirit have been great influences in my art and my life. Working specifically in the visionary and surrealist genre and employing universal symbols of sacred geometry, in particular the circle and the circle in the square, as key elements in this pursuit.
I predominantly am a collage/mixed media artist. Any material is my inspiration, from printed images, handmade papers to objects, EVERYTHING is food! Outside of collage/mixed media I also paint in acrylics, draw and work in mosaics. Mosaic work has sometimes become a source of income, I work in my studio as well as in residential settings. All of them are inspiring, all of them are challenging for a variety of reasons! I love them all!
Collage is my passion! So much so that I co-founded the Collage/Assemblage Society (CAS) based in NYC. This was a group of amazing Collage/Mixed Media & Assemblage artists gathered in support of each other.. I am also involved with the Society for Art of Imagination, an international group of artists, the founder being Brigid Marlin, London.
I have developed a visual language utilizing, predominantly, collage/mixed media; these works might begin with an image that is striking to me, a word or phrase or free flow, similar to automatic writing. Sometimes beginning the process with a single image and possibly never using the image in the final piece. I ‘play’ with the image and/or image making till it feels ‘cooked’.
From that point forward it grows into the final piece. I will use appropriated & hand created images as well as objects and materials, such as handmade papers, etc. The piece speaks to me, or I’m moved in an intuitive manner. These works are created on illustration board, Masonite or MDF board. Some works take a week, some take years.
As I see it, I am the conduit or channel, in the process of working I receive guidance so to speak. Once I try to ‘make it happen’, I lose the flow. So it is important that I remain open in the process of creation.
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Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Certainly the work of masters like Hannah Hoch, Siqueiros, Remedios Varo, and many other artists, as well as my contemporaries, Jonathan Talbot, Steven Peabody, Olga Spiegel, Miguel Tio’, et al.
I also work in the Newark Museum of Art, the largest museum in NJ, which daily is inspiration to me. I am blessed to be able to work in such an incredible setting.
Books: The Alchemist, Bio of Frida Kahlo, Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party.
Podcasts: Energy Activation, 11:11, On Purpose, Jay Shetty
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.france-garrido.com
- Instagram: #francegarrido
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/france.garrido.1
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/france-garrido-719a99b/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FranGarrido-b1j
- Other: https://artshealingalliance.com
