A feature in Where Women Create!

Photos by Molly Lo

I am honored and grateful to be featured in the Winter 2021 issue of WHERE Women Create. The publication dives into the spaces makers and artists use to create and be inspired. I am so happy to share how the beautiful northern light in my studio space inspires me, my journey to making a living through my art and a look into my process and imagination. Many thank yous to Molly Lo for documenting the space with her beautiful photography.

Click the button below to see the issue and go behind the scenes at my Pawtucket, RI studio:

Below are a few of my favorite photos from my shoot with Molly and excerpts from the magazine! Whether you’re an artist or lover of the arts, I highly recommend subscribing.

Off to see the world

“At 18, I was off to see the world. For the next 15 years, my life was travel, art school, and working many jobs to support these passions. Walking the roads of the Inca and Romans, staring at the frescoes of Florence, floating down the rivers of the Ecuadorian Rainforest, and climbing to the peaks of the Rockies ignited endless stories to paint. With each experience, my love for the earth and its curious creatures grew.”

at my freest

“I’m at my freest when I’m drawing big pastels on the wall. A grand, empty wall gives me space to portray majestic birds of prey. The pastel medium forces decisive mark-making, capturing its strength and intense focus. I understand when patrons say they can feel the presence of my oversized owls. They feel intense eyes looking through them. They feel the soaring power of the wings. They are stopped in their tracks by the presence of a larger-than-life predator. It’s the size of the studio that allows me to draw as large as I can dream.”

A quiet space

“A studio needs quiet space, too. In the empty spaces of the old hardwood floors, I create my nests of inspiration. Art books, reference photos, paints, pencils, and large swaths of blank paper surround me with potential as I develop ideas and sketches that will tell a new story. With my dog Nina by my side, in my comfy chair, I open Winslow Homer to see what is possible with watercolor, or John Singer Sargent to remind me to loosen up, or Paula Rega to be bold and expressive.”

Holly WachComment