Visit the Studio with Marika Wagle

With pops of vivid color, the work of Marika Wagle is unforgettable. In her craft, Marika finds therapy in the bright canvases, crafting safe spaces for herself and her viewers. In conjunction with her work as an interior designer, it’s no surprise that Marika’s studio space and work seem to sparkle with vibrancy, bright colors, and creative energy.

Join us as Marika takes us through her home studio set up as painter and interior designer!

What materials do you use? And why?

I use a variety of materials. I love experimenting with new tools and mediums, always trying to find “the edge” where I can continue to challenge myself.

For paint, my go to is acrylic because it gives me the best options for bold, vibrant color, and it can be very flexible with heavy body, fluid mediums, and mixable varieties. It works well on both canvas or paper (or even denim jackets which I also love to paint!), two materials I use often. I also use acrylic paint markers, which is basically a fluid acrylic ink with a foam tip. They allow me to do some of the finer drawing details over the acrylic paint without having to use a fine brush.

In quarantine, I've been experimenting with making my own natural watercolors. I have a friend who does natural tie-dyeing, so she taught me how to make the dyes at home and I’ve been using them as paint… and leftovers to dye my studio rags! I use beets, cabbage, onion skins, avocado skins, hibiscus and pea flower powders, turmeric, and chlorophyll. I boil and simmer the beets, onion skins, and avocado skins for several hours to get the richest possible colors, and the powders I add boiling water to make almost a rich broth. My favorite colors come from the beets (a gorgeous fuchsia color), cabbage (a denim-like blue once I add baking soda to the purple-y dye), and the chlorophyll (a deep saturated emerald/forest green straight from the bottle, and adding water to dilute it down). The dyes from the powders come out a bit more subtle, but layer perfectly with the rich tones.

For tools, I love foam wall paint brushes and spackle scrapers for applying large amounts of paint and maintaining a variation in the colors. Like Gerhard Richter, but on a much smaller scale! I’m fishing around the local hardware store almost as much as my art supply store. I recently bought a massive tool chest to store all my supplies. My studio is pretty makeshift in my apartment so storage is key! I use a variety of brushes – mostly because I hate washing them mid-painting.

What is your artwork about? What does it speak to?

My work explores the vulnerability and shame that I and so many of us have. It’s been a therapeutic experience to express my own chaos, struggle, pain, fear, hope, strength, courage, and ultimately voices at war with each other. My hope is that my work helps inspire a safe and open space for like-minded souls to feel seen and heard.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I get my inspiration from my own emotions and the common struggles so many of us share –– that space where all of us connect on a deep, human level. I have struggled with addiction, shame, pain, a chaotic mind, and trying to find a place of peace and serenity. I explore a lot of my own dark voices that tell me I’m not good enough, unlovable, too much as well as my opposing hopeful voices of worthiness, vulnerability, confidence in my work. Depending on how I’m feeling that day, sometimes those dark voices are louder and need to be expressed, while other times the positive voices come through. And sometimes both! I have found that those sentiments are what so many people relate to and feel like they can’t express themselves. I hear so often from people of all walks of life: “me too”, “i can relate”, “that’s exactly how I feel”, “thank you for expressing what I’ve been afraid to”, “now I don’t feel so alone”. My hope is that my own vulnerability will help create a safe space for others to feel seen and release their own shame. We all share many of these thoughts and emotions and the vulnerability and human connection of others inspires my work.

What is your typical routine when you get to the studio? Walk us through a typical studio day.

Because my studio is in my apartment, I work most days. Depending on the day, I'll work anywhere from 1-6 hours. I love to put on music––Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac––and just lose myself in the process.

I don’t usually go in knowing what my painting will look like, I just start with the colors I'm feeling that day and let the rest flow organically. A painting takes on its own identity from the start and I’m just there to facilitate fleshing it out. Because most of my paintings are richly colored and densely layered, I have to wait for paint to dry before going back to finish each layer. While waiting, I often put on a great song and stop to dance. This can either happen all in one day or over a period of several days.

I typically only work on one piece at a time. My mind can only hold space enough for that one piece. Once I've started, I'm constantly looking at it on my breaks to see what I want to do next –– a benefit of having my studio in my home! (My dog likes to chew up my brushes, so I have to put a lot of my supplies away before going to bed.)

I just left NYC to get away from the quarantine there and came to LA to spend a couple of months. I have set up a makeshift studio in my mother’s garage that is working out pretty well!

What are you currently working on? Share with us what is exciting to you about this most recent work.

I was an artist as a kid, but at some point stopped because I feared I wasn't good enough. That feeling of if I wasn’t the best, I wasn’t going to do it at all. I spent 15 years in the fashion industry and only picked up a paintbrush about 9 months ago! I never went to art school, nor had any formal training, so I’m still experimenting with my style, mediums, and techniques. Learning as I go!

My most recent piece, “My Revolving Door”, is one of the bigger pieces I’ve done at 40” x 30”. I've been returning to my roots again with bold, chaotic colors and compositions. This time, I let myself play a lot more with free, quick, uncalculated strokes, expressing the inner chaos I live with every day. I tried to let the color lead me and the piece tell it’s own story. I often feel more like a conduit for the work, rather than the director. It came out of my recurring struggle to be vulnerable –– of both wanting to let people in and keep them out at the same time. At times fearing being lovable or good enough if I do let people in, and at other times feeling safer and more protected if I just keep them out.

Which artists most inspire you and your work?

Basquiat, David Hockney, Helen Frankenthaler, Gerhard Richter, and graffiti artists. I’m inspired by Basquiat’s freeform style, chaotic expression, use of words as power, and layering of bold, bright color. Hockney inspires me with his use of bright color, playfulness, and that touch of cheekiness in his work. I love Frankenthaler’s commitment to color speaking through her work––the wide swaths of overlapping color and large format evoke such emotion. I first became inspired by Gerard Richter when I watched a documentary about him and saw his process using the large, custom tools to confidently swipe his canvases with color. Because of him, I started using large paint scrapers I found at the hardware store that allowed me to apply multiple colors to the canvas at once.

I grew up in Los Angeles and have lived in NYC for 18 years and I’ve always been inspired by the street art and graffiti I’ve seen around me. The grittiness and urban feel make me feel right at home and I love how “in your face” and aggressive it can be. It elicits emotion, which is what I’m always trying to do with my work. The bold lettering and color has also influenced how I express myself in my own work.

Do you balance another job in addition to being an artist?

I am also an interior designer! I take design jobs here and there if they inspire me, but mainly focus on my art. What I love about interior design is what I love about art –– the bold mixing of patterns, colors, playfulness, and just general visual inspiration. My interior design style is unapologetically bold and that’s what my clients are looking for, although I always have to tailor it to their specific needs in their home. I want them to feel like it represents them, but I also challenge them to kick it up a notch. With my art, I don’t have to answer to anyone (who doesn’t love that?). It is much more a pure expression of me. It’s a personal journey, while designing homes is about helping someone else create their vision. Interior design also allows me to work with people and be collaborative, which is sometimes a nice break from working alone in my art studio.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this special peek into Marika's creative environment! Even in a virtual age, we encourage all budding collectors to take the time to connect with the artists you love directly.

We want to remind you of our awesome artist messaging feature directly on the Art in Res site––reach out now and foster that creative energy! Have more questions for Marika on her art and practice? Follow up with her directly via our messenger. We know she’ll be thrilled to answer any questions you might have. Ask about a specific painting or about her specific process in general––either approach works!