Interview
Grace Refuerzo
A self-taught artist and photographer born in Northern California, Grace’s creative journey has taken many forms throughout her life. After graduating from high school, she became a licensed hairstylist. Designing hairstyles that shaped and framed her clients’ faces—and surprising them with unique cuts and colors—was an incredibly fulfilling and artistic career. Later, Grace returned to school and spent many years working in the technology software industry. Although the work was rewarding, she missed having a creative outlet. This eventually led Grace to start a landscape design company, which became one of her favorite ventures. Creating landscapes for clients felt like another form of art—designing living environments that blended structure, nature, and imagination. After fifteen years in landscape design, she retired in order to focus fully on creating art. Her work draws inspiration from architecture, nature, landscapes, and sometimes simply intuition. She works with a variety of mixed media including acrylic, encaustic, oil, and plaster. Most pieces begin as sketches—either by hand or digitally—before being transferred to canvas or wood. She especially enjoys painting on wood, particularly when creating geometric or abstract compositions, where the movement of paint across the surface becomes part of the process itself. Art is not only a passion for her; it brings a sense of peace and harmony while serving as a deeply personal form of creative expression.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I am a self-taught artist and photographer.”
What inspires you?
“Architecture, design and walking around museums inspire me.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Creating geometric shapes, patterns with textures or minimalistic template that is simplistic.”
How would you describe your work?
“Abstract, minimalist with a twist of geometric and symmetric.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Georgia O’Keefe, Mark Rothko, Frank Stella and Kazuko Miyamoto.”
What is your creative process like?
“My creative process is unscripted and spontaneous. It’s an organic response to how I feel, what I’m imagining in that moment or have thought of the day before, I sketch the idea either by pencil or digitally.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I don’t think today’s artist’s are getting enough recognition in today’s society and that the non-living artist are getting more attention. I hope it evolves!”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I have had several exhibitions in Paris, Milan, Berlin Quebec, and several in New York. I was recently awarded certificates from circle Foundation for the Arts, as a Finalist and Honorable Mention in Art Competitions, Artwork ‘Intersection of Light,’ please visit my Instagram for information and certificates.”
Website: gracerefuerzo.com
Instagram: @graceart408
