Interview with a Creative: Candice McColgan
Candice, in her studio
Candice McColgan is a native Memphian and she and her family live in midtown in a historic home that they enjoy fixing up in their “spare” time. Their two children, three cats and one dog keep them entertained and on their toes! Candice has a BA in Art History and loves printmaking.
You do a lot of lino prints - how did you get into printmaking? Do you find it comes naturally to carve your art and in reverse!?
I learned the basics of printmaking in high school, a million years ago. My bachelor's is in art history and I did take some fine arts classes, but never any printmaking in college. I picked up some linoleum at the Art Center a few years ago after finding my old carving tool. It drew me right back in! I carved the 4x6 inch Hernando DeSoto Bridge that afternoon!
I really like the process of printmaking; it's detailed. I like details.
It doesn't always come easily to work in reverse, especially with lettering, but I enjoy the challenge of it.
You also do a lot of shows in town and always have a beautiful booth. How do you stay organized and do you have any tricks for getting set up?
Thank you! I've worked hard to create a booth that highlights my work rather than distracts from it. It's taken a bit to collect the exact right display pieces: ones that both work to display art and give the space the style I was looking for. I found that sticking with decor and display pieces that I like, would chose to put in my own home, and are easily packed are the keys to my successful booth. I enjoy unpacking and setting the space up because I like the end result.
I think my favorite tools for a less-stress market set-up and break-down are rolling suitcases and small and medium plastic bins. With the bins I can stay organized. With the suitcases I can easily pack and keep up with supplies and inventory. They also make moving all the things needed for a successful market so much smoother. I setup and breakdown most markets by myself, so having wheels makes for less trips to the car and faster load in and load out. The trick to using suitcases is to use smaller, carry-on sized suitcases. I tried a giant one for a few shows and lugging that thing around and then up and down the stairs to my second story studio was a no-go!
What do you find to be the biggest challenge of being a maker?
Definitely the "business" part. Keeping my studio clean! It's so easy to get wrapped up in the fun part and so hard to buckle down and take care of the everyday boring little messes.
And money: pricing, taxes, licenses. All that business-y financial stuff- I'm terrible at it! I like the creating part way more!
Where does the inspiration come or what influences your art? We can see the bridge is the bridge but what about your birds and other works?
This is a hard one for me to answer, or rather, to put into words.
The easy, simple answer is that I get inspiration from my world: the things, people, and places around me.
The deeper answer is that I create things I see and enjoy or the things, people, and places that bring me joy. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the darkness of the world and the negativity that often feels like is surrounding us. Seeing light and feeling joy is very important to me. That and being kind.
Challenges inspire me too. Like bringing art into everyday life and making it functional but in a lasting way. Right now I'm kind of obsessed with printing on small zipper pouches and bags.
I also believe that original art should be available to all. Everyone should be able to afford at least one (if not more) pieces of original, signed by the artist artwork. As an artist, printmaking allows me to make my artwork accessible to people who aren't art collectors but want to collect original pieces within their budget.
Disclosure: Candice McColgan and her business are not affiliated with Independent Financial Group (IFG).