We were lucky to catch up with Grace Nguchu recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Grace thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
The first time I knew I wanted to pursue my artistic path professionally was actually when I had completed high school in 1993. I wanted to pursue Graphic Design at a polytechnic. Unfortunately, I was not able to do it as my relatives felt at that time, that having an art career was not lucrative. Fast forward to late 2021, I started to seriously consider pursing my art career again. I had subscribed to a certain artistic website: Visionary Art Collective and saw an advert talking about embarking on an art mentorship for those interested in pursuing an art career. So I reached out to Victoria J. Fry via email sometime in March or April of 2022 to express my interest in the program. I eventually quit my job in June 2022 and officially launched my Art Career in August 2022 under the mentorship.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a contemporary artist based in Austin, Texas. Growing up in Nairobi, Kenya, I was deeply inspired by my surroundings – the lush green landscape and the tall mountains in the Great Rift Valley, the vast golden savannah plains of the Maasai Mara and the exquisite coastline of Mombasa. It was during this time that I took an interest in drawing, finding endless inspiration in nature and comic books. In 1998, I moved to the United States after completing my bachelors degree in Business Administration, initially settling in Hawaii before eventually finding my way to Austin, Texas. In June 2023, I began to pursue my professional art career – drawing, painting, and establishing my unique voice as an artist. I consider my work to be a form of visual storytelling. Through my work, I seek to express the beauty and harmony residing in the natural landscape of Kenya and commemorate a disappearing environment due to climate change and aggressive urbanization. I proud of taking the risk to pursue my lifelong passion in painting.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
In my work, I showcase the magnificence and diversity of Kenya. I explore the beauty and harmony found in nature and how it impacts the human psyche by invoking our emotions, needs and desires. While some of the places I paint are entirely new, others I have either lived or visited throughout my life. I introduce my audience to the rich diversity of the Kenyan landscape by documenting and painting these regions that have profoundly impacted me.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me, is the ability to communicate and express my feelings, thoughts and desires through my work and to see my audience reciprocate those same expressions by appreciating the work
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gracewnguchu.com
- Instagram: @gracewnguchu
Image Credits
Art For The People Gallery