Tendrils Ten with Maggie Gourlay

Maggie Gourlay’s work appears in Trauma and the Environment, Issue 2

1. What brings you joy? It could be recent or something you’ve enjoyed for ages.
   Sitting on my front stoop in the morning with a cup of coffee to see the birds, insects, or whatever happens to be active at that hour; getting together with friends and family; looking out at the ocean or really any body of water.

2. What art form would you like to try at least once?
   I've tried most of them! At least in the visual arts field. I have been thinking about piano lately because that was something I tried as a child, but the practices became drills that took the joy out of it. If I try it again, I would like to reclaim that joy without the pressure.

3. When was the first time you thought of yourself as an artist?
   I guess I always drew, and my parents started calling me “the artist in the family,” so that was something that has been part of my identity for as long as I can remember. I really started thinking of myself as a professional artist when I finished my MFA, and having understood where academia takes you, I was able to take from that what I needed and begin to forge my own path.

4. What’s one way you process or manage painful emotions?
   Really, sleep on it is the best advice when it is overwhelming. Mornings bring clarity and perspective. For me, allowing myself to grieve is important—acknowledging the pain—gives it an objective shape and allows me to grieve without judgement. Writing, making art, or listening to music helps to work through emotional states that are otherwise hard to process, and these endeavors help channel the pain into expressions of the humanity that we all share.

5. What’s a work of art/literature that has influenced you greatly?
   Really any work by Wendell Berry. Picking up a book by him takes me to a place that I know, evoking our deep connection to the natural world that reminds me of what's important.

6. What’s your favorite tool for making art?
   Right now, it's anything that I can forage from nature—especially natural dyes.

7. If you weren’t an artist, what would you be?
   If I weren't a visual artist, I would probably be a writer. I love reading and the written word, and often turn to it to make sense of where my mind is.

8. If you could instantly master any skill, what would you choose?
   The piano

9. If your workspace could talk, what would it say about you?
   That I need to be in there more.

10. If you could chat with 1 artist, living or dead, who would you choose?
    Wendell Berry, especially if he could take me on a tour of his farm.

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Maggie Gourlay is an artist based in Maryland. Her naturally-dyed and printed fiber work is showing in the exhibit Printed Voices at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery in Silver Spring through November 20. Visit www.maggiegourlay.com or follow her at IG: maggiegourl