Interview with April Youth Artist Gaya Buchta
Our April Youth Artist is Gaya Buchta, a senior at East Providence High School with an affinity for watercolor. Her beautiful work is on display at The Collaborative on Main until April 30th.
In an interview with us, Gaya talks art, inspiration and her plans for the future.
Who and what inspires you to create?
I sometimes struggle with inspiration, but one thing that really helps is doing small sketches and paintings to get the ideas flowing. I find that once I finish a piece, it gives me a lot of inertia and motivation to paint more. I was obviously very inspired by nature for these pieces, but there’s nothing like a good brainstorming session with friends and fellow artists to get me excited to create.
Clearly, your work draws from the beauty of nature. When you are out and about during your day, what things catch your eye and intrigue you? Do you paint outside?
Like everyone, I’m drawn to the stereotypically beautiful parts of nature, like sunsets and flowers. But if you spend enough time painting nature, you have to pay attention to every part of your image, so you start noticing smaller details about the world around you. I’ve especially come to notice different lighting effects that your brain tends to cancel out. One of my favorite examples of this is how shadows in direct sunlight tend to be a very vibrant blue. While I draw a lot of inspiration from nature, I don’t tend to paint outside for practical reasons, although I have done it a few times and I have found it very peaceful.
What did you learn as a Youth Artist with The Collaborative?
I’ve had my work displayed in various school exhibits and through contests, but this was my first time going through the process on my own. I had to figure out how to assemble a somewhat cohesive selection of paintings and decide on pricing and titles. I also learned a lot about the practical aspects of it, like how to use different types of framing hardware.
How do you think the opening night went?
I'm really happy with how the opening went! I had a great time talking to everyone about my work and hearing from fellow artists. I’m super thankful to everyone who stopped by and especially anyone who bought one of my pieces.
What are your future artistic plans and where do you hope to go next?
The body of work that I’m creating right now is definitely a departure from my work at the Collaborative. It’s a lot more conceptual, exploring the effects of technology on us. I’m going to be displaying those pieces at Foolproof Brewing Company in Pawtucket over the summer. After that I'll be off to college, where I'll major in art. I’ve had a great experience as an intern for Gallery Night Providence, so I’m hoping to find similar opportunities to get involved in the local art scene in New Haven.
