Yellow on White, 2007
Acrylic on canvas

A warm hello, lovely collectors! Today I am offering you another cheery interview with one of our artists, Giovanni Garcia-Fenech. By now, you might be realizing that my interviews are modified Proust questionnaires, but I really cannot top this format for getting a conversation going.

To begin, an easy question: what makes you happy?
Making my wife laugh. Not that it's particularly difficult to do.

How did you come to live in New York?
I was born and raised in Mexico, moved to Texas when I was twelve and spent six months in London before moving to New York to go to graduate school. I always had the feeling that if things didn't work out I had the option to pack up and go somewhere else, but as soon as I moved to Brooklyn (14 years ago) I realized I had finally reached the end of the road.

What is your idea of an ideal day?
It might not be the most exciting day to describe, but I am happiest when I'm working on something in my studio while Sabine is next door working on her book or writing one of her articles. I know that we'll both be tired around five o'clock and start trying to figure out what we'll do for dinner. She'll usually do the cooking while I might help with less challenging stuff like chopping vegetables or running out to buy some wine. And when we're in the kitchen our cat and our rabbit will start hanging out with us hoping to get fed. I can't imagine things getting much better than that.

Who are your favorite characters in history?
I'm a big sucker for the Abstract Expressionists. They were the last real bohemians and I like reading about their cold water flats and drunken fights in the Cedar Tavern. Maybe it's a little corny but I find their lives fascinating.

Are there any in particular that you feel most connected to? How has the way they lived inspired your work? Your art philosophy?
I particularly respond to their earnestness. There's something inspiring about how their ambitions, at least initially, transcended issues of money and fame. Most of them didn't really see the possibility of ever becoming successful as artists; their motivation seemed to be to satisfy themselves and impress their peers. Then of course money came in and the whole thing changed. Or at least that's how I interpret it, and naive as that might be, those were the standards that I came to New York with. Inevitably you become more cynical with time, but I still hold on to at least some of those ideals.

Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
I very much admire Joan Didion. I've read every book she's published except for The Year of Magical Thinking; I don't think I can deal with that one right now. Salvador is one of the best books I've ever read - very dark, unexpectedly funny at times and intensely indignant. I guess that also describes most of her writing.

Your favorite painter?
It would be hard for me to name just one - I love everyone from Giotto to Mary Heilmann. I am also very interested in Medieval illustrated manuscripts and Indian miniatures, which were often painted by anonymous artists. And I've been thinking a lot recently about Helmut Federle, a great Swiss/German abstract painter that was big in the 80's but seems unfairly neglected (in America, at least) as of late.

Do you have a favorite gallery?
There are many great galleries Uptown and in Chelsea, but I find the scene in the Lower East Side the most interesting right now. It seems the most flexible; it reminds me of Williamsburg when I first lived there in the 90's.

Your favorite photographer?
Diane Arbus. I feel like her photography was very close in tone to Joan Didion's from around the same time.

What authors (if any) are equivalent to your style of art? I know this is out there, but the connection you made between Arbus and Didion made me wonder...
The work I'm doing now is so formal that it would be hard for me to compare it to literature, or at least literature that I currently read. When I was in graduate school I was very influenced by Robbe-Grillet and I could draw some parallels to my paintings, but I don't have much patience for that type of experimental writing anymore, or at least not right now.

Your favorite poet?
I think Philip Larkin is amazing, and Aubade is really excellent.

Do you collect art?
I don't have much money to spend on art, but I am lucky to have a small collection of works that I've traded with fellow artist friends. And my wife Sabine and I also occassionally buy what I guess you could call outsider art. For example, the first time we were in Puerto Rico we walked into a botanica in the small town of Aguadilla because it was the only place that was open on a Sunday. Among the weird candles and figurines we found a wonderful painted carving of a man that was made from a tree trunk with three branches; the trunk was turned upside down so that the branches formed three legs. It looks almost like a German Expressionist sculpture. We were told to name it and treat it as a member of the family and he would protect our home. Customs laughed at us at the airport when we told them the story.

Could you photograph this for me to include in the interview?
Attached!

Which 20x200 artists do you most adore, and why?
I think Linzie Hunter's Spam prints are really good. They are poignant because Spammers appeal to our insecurities and needs, but the way the text is presented out of context makes them funny. And her lettering reminds me of Jay Ward cartoons.

What are you working on?
I'm excited because I just received some big sheets of cheap corrugated cardboard that I ordered from Staples. I'm planning on drawing on them with lumber crayons, which are just crappy big black crayons. If nothing else, it should be fun to do. And if it works, they should be easier to store and move than canvases.

Any progress on this so far?
I haven't yet gotten started, but I'm attaching a photo of my messy studio if you can fit it in.

What is your greatest ambition?
As happy as I am with my day job, it would be great to be able to make art exclusively, of course.

What gives you the most inspiration?
Other art. Nothing makes me want to go to my studio more than seeing a great exhibition at a museum or gallery. I should also mention that last week I saw an amazing little group show at BravinLee Programs in Chelsea.

Can you say a few words about your 20x200 edition?
Honestly, I'm touched that Jen picked one of my paintings to make into a print. My work looks so different from what she usually shows. It's very cool of her to be so open. People should really buy my edition by the dozen to let Jen know how great she is, shouldn't they?

Yes, they should.
Giovanni's 20x200 edition print: Black on Blue
Giovanni's website