Artist Garrick Marchena
Interview January 2024
By Arlene Parris
All pictures provided by Garrick Marchena
The minute you see Garrick with a paintbrush or a pencil in his hands, his eyes light up, and you know what comes next will be a flow of artistic passion. This is what makes him an artist.
Garrick Marchena was born in Aruba, but at a very early age, he was traveling between Curaçao and Aruba. Many years ago when I studied in the Midwest I interviewed Garrick for the first time and to this day I am still laughing about this day. During the late 80s many Mid-westerners did not know Curaçao, we were all stuck with “Where are you from?” and KURAKAO? Well, today our island is Curaçao. But the pronunciation lesson Garrick left me with on how to give the right pronunciation is KURA-SAO! I would have never guessed after so many years of saying the Cedilla French Ç and all that. After the lesson I realized in one way, we are kindred spirits and this man has a huge heart.
Could you tell us something about your family?
“I have siblings, a younger sister, and a brother. I also have a wonderful son of 29 years, who is also a gifted artist with his own style. My parents have molded me in different ways. My mother was a seamstress, she used to visualize and draw out wedding dresses and create them seamlessly. This drawing ability is something that I also possess, to bring my drawings to life. My father was a professional welder and was meticulous in his work. He compelled me to pursue the study of civil engineering and in hindsight, I am extremely grateful for this because now I consider myself a craftsman who creates works of Art.”
Civil engineering and talent
“While studying Civil Engineering in the USA knowing that it was not exactly my passion, I knew I wanted something to do with Arts. Once while studying in a library at the University where I attended, I saw a guy, who was going to the Art Institute, doing a life painting of his girlfriend. I felt the urge to draw and asked to join his painting session for a short moment. At the end of our session, he was impressed by my talents, and this was the starting moment that I became the go-to guy for other students who wanted something drawn or painted.”
What is your BIG WHY or driving motivation to be who you are right now?
“I have a curious mind that is connected with my tendency to challenge myself. The result of that is that I aim to inspire with my works of art.”
What are your plans for the coming years for the coming 5 years from now?
“Relocation. Big ideas require bigger spaces. I would like to relocate to another part of Curaçao where there are much bigger spaces and where I am closer to nature.”
What are the challenges that you are dealing with?
“Ambition. I am ambitious with my design ideas, and to be honest it doesn’t always work out well. From time to time, I do feel that I need an extra helping hand because of all the work and assignments I have.”
And how are you dealing with these different challenges you confront?
“I try to take on each project one at a time, but it’s a challenge with the constant flow of requests for a wide variety of work. If you had asked me ten years ago where I would be within 10 years, I couldn’t have imagined that I would be where I am at this moment and this stage in my career. So I just keep going for it to the best of my abilities.”
“For the most part I follow my gut. During my life, I have left many comfort zones. From one comfort zone to the next, but between the zones there are moments of discomfort. That discomfort is my inner creative voice guiding me, turning my inner compass to step out, and that step-out usually turns into a step-up.”
How do you educate yourself in your craft?
“I periodically follow live and or online courses. I seek out artists who are masters in their skill and discover the ‘How to do things’ along the way. Once I decide to create something, I learn new techniques and educate myself to create the vision I have in mind.”
What are your strengths?
“Being detailed, and I love to stretch myself way out of my comfort zone.”
How would you introduce yourself to a stranger on the bus (let’s say in New York or Medellín)?“Hi, my name is Garrick, I am a Caribbean visual artist from the island of Curaçao.”
How would you describe ..whomever.. in one word or one sentence?
“One word: A craftsman. In a sentence: I am a craftsman with multiple artistic skills who uses these skills to challenge himself to become the best that he can be. That isn’t always the easiest journey, but that is who I am.“
Two of his first paintings as a full-time artist were for the ‘Curaçao World’s Longest Painting’ event in 2013. One called ‘Impeccable’ the other called ‘Ken E Ta’.
This event was set to break a world record for the longest painting in the Caribbean area, measured at 1.7 km in length.
Who are the persons that have inspired you the most in your career?
“The people that have inspired me the most are definitely both my parents. My mother’s ability to visualize her ideas on paper before she created them, and my father’s meticulous craftsmanship. I must also give credit to one of my art godfathers, Mr. Yubi Kiridongo. At a young age, before I knew who Yubi was, I would be mesmerized by his art installations. I would also like to mention that around ten years old, an older cousin of mine painted almost all the walls in his room, which caught my attention and put me in a state of total awe.”
What is a trait that is still a work in progress?
“My tendency to take on big challenges. It is a sword that cuts on both sides. It is very rewarding, but at the same time, if I fail I fail big.”
What was a shaping moment in your life?
“A while back I took a trip to Cuba, and I was blown away by the people’s love of arts and music, especially the countless murals. Cuba’s economic impediments have taken many things away from the inhabitants, but the energy they have… they put into their arts and music. After experiencing this, something changed in me. I got back to Curaçao, I went back to work at my day job and I tried to get back into my rhythm, but I felt estranged. This was also visible to the people in my surroundings, and I became aware that It was time to move on. It was clear to me what my next step was, and that was to quit my current job and start on my own.”
What would you want your Loved Ones, family, friends, and others to say about you let’s say 20 years from now?
“That I followed my passion, that I did my best to be a role model for current and future generations to come. Always challenging myself to become the best version of myself.”
What makes you stay optimistic about the future of the island?
“The vast majority of the population here truly loves this island. In the end, each person, in their own unique way, will love and care for the island and make it a better place.”
Garrick Marchena
Garrick Marchena is a remarkable, driven, cheerful, multi-faceted artist who has the deepest respect for the beauty of Curaçao’s flora and fauna. This appreciation for the island’s beauty and history can be seen in his work. Garrick is also famous for his large portrait murals. The eyes of those he draws and paints have a “soul”. His talents were inspired by both his parents. His mother with her natural ability to visualize and create unique custom dresses, and his father for being a meticulous craftsman.
Garrick is detailed, but on the other hand, always stretching himself out of the normal, going above and beyond. He considers himself a craftsman who uses his multiple skills to challenge himself more and more to become the best he can be in his art. That isn’t always the easiest journey to take, but that is basically who he has been and who he is. Garrick, the artist, is not just a creator of visual wonders but a living embodiment of the transformative power of passion and a growth mindset. He doesn’t merely paint canvases or murals, but his works of art are a representation of his evolution and growth as an artist.
Nowadays, he dedicates 100% of his time to his craft.
What makes Garrick stand out is that he is stepping out of his comfort zone and follows his inner creative compass. His artistic journey is an ever-evolving canvas, a testament to the belief that true mastery lies not in perfection but in the continuous pursuit of excellence. Look at the list of the Influencers we have interviewed or reported on, up to now.
The goal of the core group of Share2Uplift for 2024
The goal of the Share2Uplift movement is to: “Identify 250 leaders from all walks of life to connect, align and create impactful changes in all walks of life, which includes intergenerational collaboration by the end of 2024.” We will use interviewing Influencers, meet-and-greet events, “train-the-trainers”-programs on “Emotional Mastery” and “Intentionality “as national intervention strategies, to reach this goal on top of our goal to scale up the possibilities to connect, align and create impact via a virtual platform. We believe that by collaborating with Miguel Goede on the virtual Vision 2030 platform, we will accelerate the possibilities to connect the diaspora and others elsewhere in the world and on the island willing to constructively create impactful changes in Curaçao, to join.
As Share2Uplift, we are fully trying to align with this thinking of Center for Curriculum Redesign to promote this agenda in our educational systems and workplace. So, in that sense, we fully support any initiative to make our educational system 21st-century proof.
Share2Uplift aligners are those that:
– Create an inspiring vision of the future;
– Motivate and inspire people to engage with that vision;
– Manage the delivery of the vision;
– Coach and build a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision. These criteria are now being polished.
We also consider these 5 values the most important ones for Share2Uplift aligners. They are:
• Peace from within;
• Compassion;
• Respectfulness;
• Integrity;
• Responsibility.
As we will progress towards this goal, we will update you on the progress.
Personal Coaching tips
This week we will share some short videos related to Garrick Marchena. We will upload one of these videos every day on our Facebook page
Video | Facebook Sketch set up in Curaçao with Garrick Marchena Arte.