Susan Garry-Lorica

 

Susan Garry-Lorica’s work is almost exclusively of the figure. She works in a variety of materials such as found wood and wire. The figures seem to take form mystically, coming into view from a distance out of the fog and then they’re right in front of you. Her use of wire is exquisite, it’s almost like she’s sculpting with smoke.

 

Why are you an artist?

 

Answer: Because it's where my life has led me. Doing my art is a passageway for contacting myself----bringing my inner world outward.

 

What artists have influenced you, and how?

 

Answer: Many I suppose, not just in their art but in their choices to live as artists---that is courageous and inspiring to me---all artists are inspiring to me. As for the work, I'm influenced by the rawness and immediacy of ethnic and folk art, as well as, outsider art.

 

Can you tell us about your work?

 

Answer: The "language" I use almost exclusively (or compulsively) is the body. It's what I have to keep "saying" over and over again. It's a "finding" the body in the materials I use; Maybe it's a process of finding my relationship to my own body. It's not a conceptual thing for me though, it's all intuitive. I work scupturally or kind of in an assemblage style---the materials I like naturally want to have dimension.

 

Do you prefer one medium over another?

 

Answer: Materials are always my starting point. Both natural wood and found weathered wood show me where to start. I also love wire-----it's really expressive and teaches me how to draw and see things. I like the combination of wire and wood too.

 

Do you usually work in series?

 

Answer: No. Often a group of things look good together but I don't think of it as a series really. Maybe my work is all one long series.

 

As you look ahead, can you see what direction your work is going?

 

Answer: I think my work is becoming more whimsical. Maybe the question of how to live in a body is becoming lighter for me.

 

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio?

Answer: The materials keep me inspired. I have a lot of wood and stuff I've picked up lying around my studio. I let things sit around and then one day I'll go in and that particular piece of wood just needs to have what I see in it come out. I try not to guide or judge the process.

 

How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

 

Answer: Fortunately for me, I'm not trying to make a living from my art, but I do sell my work and find it really rewarding. I try not to get too freaked out by the prospect of attaching a certain monetary value to a piece of art----it will always be a weird thing. The important thing to remember is people value living with the art enough to pay money for it. That's really nice.

 

What do you do for fun besides painting?

Answer: I love to get out to the woods and be with the trees.