Artist Wayne Garcia’s Intaglio Reliefs Come to Life at The Studios of Key West: Special Preview Party on April 5

On Thursday, April 5, The Studios of Key West invites the public to celebrate folk artist Wayne Garcia and his bas-relief woodcarving exhibit “Vintage Simonton Street: 1960s” with a special opening reception in the Zabar Lobby from 6:00pm -8:00pm.  The exhibit features more than a dozen works that showcase the vivid particulars and street scenes based on the third-generation Cuban-American’s childhood memories.

A general contractor by trade for more than five decades, Garcia began carving his own Old Key West stories into wood after watching nationally celebrated folk artist Mario Sanchez at work in the early 80s. Garcia and his father were doing a week-long masonry and carpentry job for Sanchez’s brother while Sanchez carved a street scene in his yard next door.  Garcia engaged him with questions about his process, and throughout the following two decades, tried his hand at his own storytelling through intaglio efforts.

In the late 90s, the two became reacquainted, and Garcia studied his style, learning how he transferred images from paper bags, and loosen oil paints with castor oil mixtures.  Today, he uses these and many of the other tools, substrates, and methods Sanchez used: standard wood chisels purchased at the hardwood store, rubber or wood mallet,  and little pieces of pointy glass to smooth out the images, get into the little corners, and scrape the pine, mahogany, or cedar after carving instead of using sandpaper.

“A trick I learned from Mario,” he says.

Also in the tradition of his mentor, Garcia’s shallow relief sculptures etched in wood reveal an important and colorful doorway to the cultural history of the island and its people—a cigar smoker on a colorful Conch house porch, cyclists pedaling down the street, brazen roosters, broody snappers, boys playing baseball, and poinciana trees blazing against the chiseled horizon. It’s a snapshot of time that offers the sense of shared community found amid the island city of his youth.

“I have to go into that neighborhood, into that domino game, into that kitchen with the lady writing the numbers of the Bolita tickets,” he says. “I have to be living it for it to work.”

Garcia attributes many of the memories he captures to his 88-year-old mother and 98-year-old uncle, both born and still living in Key West. Through conversations, Garcia recalls stories of how Key West used to be, especially in the 60s as a child on Simonton Street, where his mother has lived since 1941, and transports himself through time and space to make his creations.

The resident artist at the Gallery on Greene since 2012 has lectured and demonstrated his work in New York City at the Sea Port Museum and in Havana Cuba at the Museum of Fine Arts, and will offer a Woodcut Relief workshop at The Studios of Key West on Saturday, April 7 from 10am to 4pm.

“This type of art is pretty unique to this island,” he says.  “Not only the intaglio, but how we used the images as a way to show our history.”

Garcia’s exhibit is free and open to the public throughout the month of April. Sponsored by Southernmost Beach Café.  For more information, contact The Studios at 305-296-0458 or visit TSKW.ORG.  The Studios of Key West is located at 533 Eaton Street, with gallery and box office open Tues-Sat, 10am-4pm.

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