Holly Wong: The Transformative Power of Art
San Francisco-based artist Holly Wong draws upon multiple disciplines when creating her intricate, layered works of art. Through her work, Holly explores organic imagery, ancient female archetypes, and the transformative power of art. Inspired by a wide range of techniques and embracing a maximalist aesthetic, Holly proves to be an unstoppable force in the contemporary art world.
Tell me about your background and where your creative journey began.
I grew up in Miami, Florida and was a child of the 1970’s. There were excellent arts magnet school programs in Dade County, and I attended accelerated art classes from elementary school onwards. I had the benefit of working with inspirational art teachers and learned early on that being an artist was a core part of my identity. After graduating high school from the New World School of the Arts, I felt a need to relocate and begin my identity as an adult. The West Coast felt right to me and I attended the San Francisco Art Institute for my BFA and MFA which I earned in New Genres, though I originally started my program as a painter. Many people ask what a New Genres fine art degree is, and I would say that it varies dependent on the artist. For me, it meant that my education focused on a multidisciplinary approach to making my work. I learned that it was not the material that drove my direction; it was my artistic concern and picking the right materials to realize that. As I branched out after my MFA program, I experimented with many different materials including photography, fiber installation, and some more ancient approaches to painting such as egg tempera and fresco. In the current and more mature phase of my work, I am fostering connections across all these materials and it feels good to me.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I am very inspired by nature and integrate many biomorphic images from plants, rocks and the sea. This probably has to do with the fact that I live in San Francisco, near the coastline and can see many succulents and sea kelp on my walks as well as the shrubs and flowering trees local to this area. I also integrate images of traditional quilt designs as well as the loops and knotting of Celtic patterns. Winged figures and Goddess metaphors often appear in my work because as I age, I feel more connected and grounded in my body. This in turn connects me to more ancient archetypes in terms of being a woman and not allowing myself to be confined by conventional definitions. My artwork and my identity are a process of becoming and I feel stronger and more confident in my work than ever before. I have a maximalist aesthetic and an obsession with surface design, so I bring all of it into the work. The meditative painting and drawing of delicate and intricate patterns are deeply healing and transformative for me.
How has your work shifted and evolved over time?
Yes, it had. As a young artist, my work was my way of re-processing trauma. Much of the work was deeply personal and narrative and I think the pain was so close to the surface that for many years, I didn’t have enough distance in what I was doing to allow the work to flourish and transform. As I became healthier and stronger as a person, I started to let air and light into my work and to enjoy the beauty and absorb the power of the natural environment around me. I was able to let all of that into the work and at that moment in my early 40’s, the work began to transform and take flight. It was directly aligned to my ability to let go of fear. I believe true creative power is unleashed when we let go of regret and that is what I strive to do every day.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?
Like many artists, I have a full-time day job that provides the foundation of support for my family. My studio life begins literally at 2:00am before I start my job. Getting up this early allows me to get in around 3 hours of studio work on weekdays, and about 5 hours a day on weekends. I strive for a total of 25 hours of studio work per week in addition to a 40-hour job and the responsibilities of home life. It is incredibly difficult to balance, I am tired all the time, but I believe it is worth it. I can see my work grow and flourish with this amount of attention and now I can’t stop. I get about 5-6 hours of sleep a night and live on coffee.
Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?
Having a day job has forced me to be organized and methodical about how I spend my time in the studio. It has also helped me to acquire good computer skills so that my marketing and art business activities do not require excessive amounts of time. From an art practice perspective, I have been heavily influenced by the language of fiber art, quilting and “women’s work” as it has been described. Because craft was the only space that women were permitted to express themselves in for many years, I have found these early signifiers of female identity whether in the form of bed coverings, clothing or embellishments extremely inspiring. As a child, I had a best friend whose mother owned a quilt fabric shop and I remember spending hours admiring the myriad of colors and patterns, running my fingers over the hundreds of bolts of cotton fabric. I also come from a heritage of German tailors on my Mother’s side, so I remember sitting with her while she sewed clothes with such ease and fluidness. She could make her own patterns. I remember the endless drone of her machine while things were simmering on the stove. Due to these experiences, I have always been attracted to an alternative history of art making and have appreciated the interest that the feminist Pattern & Decoration movement has acquired in recent years.
How has Instagram impacted your art career?
Instagram has been transformational in terms of getting my work out into the world. In some cases, I have been curated into shows or received a commission because of people seeing me on Instagram. I started an Instagram account about 4 years ago and currently have around 5,000 followers. I love the sense of community that Instagram generates, and I try to remain focused on the positive aspects of this. Typically, I post every 2-3 days about new experiments in the studio, upcoming exhibits and the work of other artists I am inspired by. I try very hard not to get trapped in the rat race of worrying about how many likes a post has or how much follower engagement, etc. It is important for me to focus on it as a studio journal, a visual record of my artistic journey.
What are your future goals and aspirations?
I would like to do public art projects that allow me to realize my ideas on a larger and more permanent scale. I also would like to work on larger paintings that combine my intricate approach to working with a fluid abandonment that balances both the laser focus and the need for emotional release. In essence, I want to work from the micro to the macro and experiment with fabrication materials that I have not tried before such as laser cut aluminum and various forms of translucent acrylic.
Website: www.hollywongart.com
Instagram: @hollywongart