042 http://www.AmericanArtCollector.com
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sarah will scour the country for the best and brightest emerging artists on
the scene and then interview them about their work. Sarah has a wonderful eye, and I'm sure you
will enjoy what she is able to discover. Artists, if you want your work considered, hashtag all your
ToBeAnnounced social media posts #tobeannounced #americanartcollector.
##To Paint Beyond My Death
Young and passionately productive, artist
Monica Garza seems to turn out new,
incredible work while making it look and
seem so e ortless. Garza has been an artist
for most of her life and that undoubtedly
shows through in her work. When looking
at her paintings, one can tell this is an artist
who has not only found their ablest voice,
but also has perfected it and is also capable
of evolving it even further.
Garza is an American artist but has a
very diverse background and has lived
many places. She’s spent time living in
Asia, Africa and South America, to name
a few. She goes into her background in the
interview. Garza is the type of artist who
puts all of herself into her paintings...liter-
ally. While these women may not alwayslook exactly like her, they are her in some
form or another. They are every woman,
strong, self-assured, carefree yet complex.
Garza states at the end of this interview
that she “wants to leave a legacy...to paint
beyond my death” and this writer believes
she is doing just that.When was the fi rst time you can recall
thinking to yourself, “Hmm art/painting
might be the way I want to express
myself!”
Not necessarily a moment, but it was a
feeling I had since I was a kid. I’ve always
loved making art and drawing my whole
life. It is just my being.What were the fi rst things you remember
drawing?Firstly, I remember doing all the coloring
books. But when I taught myself to draw
I remember trying to copy photos of my
family and doing a lot of self-portraits.You have a very mixed and diverse
background. Can you go into that a
little bit, i.e., your heritage and places
you’ve lived?
I was born in New Mexico and moved to
Japan as a young kid but grew up in a super
small town in central Georgia from elemen-
tary to high school. My mother is Korean and
my father is Mexican but I am American.How do you think your heritage has
a
ected the work you make today?
Well everyone’s core of who they are
a ects who and how they do what they do.
I think it’s obvious how my heritage has
inspired my work. I’m mostly interested in
the painting itself, over the content. That
becomes the most interesting part for me.Who are these women in your paintings?
What’s their backstory?
I’d like the viewer to take what they want
from it, but the paintings are inspired by
me...by myself.Interview with
Monica Garza
By Sarah Elise Abramson1 2