A Minute With Grace Colletta
Hi! This is a newsletter about artists I like.
I began acquiring art through some friends that worked in galleries. I started small, working on a limited budget, for stuff I could afford. As time passed, my collection grew, and it was exciting to watch many of the artists I'd collected go on to bigger shows and critical acclaim. My goal with this newsletter is to make a digestible resource for anyone interested in artists that are making great (and still affordable!) work, whom you haven't heard about... yet.
I saw this work and wanted to know more…..I present Grace Colletta.
How has your summer been going? What have you been up to?
GC: This summer I went on a trip to Italy and Spain for the first time. Some highlights for me were visiting the Ufizzi, Vatican museums, Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel and seeing so many incredible paintings, frescos, and mosaics in person. I have also been painting outside at home in Encinitas, California. I am growing a vegetable garden and painting from what I see in the garden. Now that it is August, all the plants have matured and weeds have taken over. Observing the garden in different stages of growth and decay over time has given me a lot to work with as far as finding interesting patterns, surprising light, and spatial situations to paint. The wildness of nature vs a structured or cultivated space has become interesting to me recently.
Can you describe your painting style?
GC: I paint from a combination of direct observation, drawing studies, and imagination. I am interested in painting what it feels like to be in a particular place. I think of my paintings as a translation of what I see. I would describe them as having a sense of curiosity and contemplation to them.
My oil paintings and drawings are rarely done in one sitting and are revised over time. Recently I have been working with watercolor too, which challenges me to work additively and build up layers of color from light to dark. I am enjoying how the white of the paper can be used to create light. Watercolor also makes sense to me as a medium for some of the things I am looking at, such as dew drops on leaves or reflections on water. Working in multiple modes such as drawing, watercolor, and oil has helped me sustain a rhythm of working during different times of the day, whether I am painting in the landscape or in the studio.
When did you know painting would be your career?
GC: I’ve always loved making things with my hands. I have memories of gathering as many supplies as I could find such as staples, tape, colored paper, and trying to make something from them. I was shy as a kid but I found expressing my voice visually to be a strength. I'm grateful that my parents encouraged me to keep making art and modeled to me that being an artist is not only something that one could do in life but also that it is a worthwhile pursuit. At UC Berkeley I majored in art and also studied costume design for theater. I learned so much from working collaboratively with theater production teams toward a shared vision and I considered continuing on a costume design path, but ultimately I wanted to focus on painting because it allowed me to make artwork that was more personal to me. This led me to study painting in graduate school at Boston University. During this time, John Walker invited our class to Maine for a week to paint at his property. This was one of my first experiences painting outdoors in the landscape for an extended period of time and was a turning point that led me to want to focus on landscape painting.
What is currently inspiring you? Or you are simply enjoying….music, other artists, food, etc.
GC: I am still processing all the things that I saw while traveling, but visiting the Morandi museum was very inspiring. It was interesting to see up close how edges are used to create positive and negative spaces in his paintings. In the spring I saw Lois Dodd’s show at the Bruce Museum. I enjoyed seeing the freshness of the paint and the scale of the paintings in person as well as seeing some of her paintings that I had never seen before in books or online.
As for food inspirations, I really enjoyed trying all sorts of pintxos in Spain. I am also enjoying finding recipes for using vegetables and herbs from the garden. So far, chimichurri and also pickled red onions have been tasty.
I am looking forward to going on a backpacking trip soon in the Sierra National Forest. I’m excited to take a small watercolor set with me and do some painting out there. I started backpacking in 2020 with my dad and siblings as a way to get out of the house and travel together during covid restrictions. It’s amazing to experience the varied landscape out there while being away from distractions and to have quiet time to paint.
Have any shows coming up?
GC: I will have paintings up in a group show at SIP Art Space in San Marcos, CA this November.
Who should we have on next?
GC: You should talk to Rachel Borenstein and Keenan Derby. They are both making incredible paintings and drawings in Los Angeles.
Can you share some pics of your studio?
Linkage Report:
Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair opened yesterday. If I were there I’d buy the Peter Shire book/coaster thing ($200) and a Jake Longstreth poster ($35) from Mier Gallery.
Speaking of LA, we were back and ended up staying across from our friend’s new restaurant/hangout spot, Stir Crazy. The owner happens to be past guest, Harley Wertheimer (CASTLE Gallery), and our other old friend, Ryan McKenna, did the interiors. It’s perfect.
We had an uptick in sign ups last week while we were on vacay and I had no idea why but turns out our friend Simone, posted a recommendation of ours for her excellent newsletter, The Secret Strategist, so thank you Simone and make sure and sign up.