Who's Who in Gig Harbor: Giorgina Wells

Name: Giorgina Wells

Occupation: Owner of 

How long have you lived in Gig Harbor?  Going on 18 years now.

What brought you here?  We were living in San Francisco at the time and we had friends that were planning on moving to Gig Harbor. Never having heard of it and just by coincidence, my husband said we need to make a trip up to Bellingham, Washington. My husband is a wood worker hobbyist and he wanted to buy a new tool in Bellingham. I asked, "Where in the world is Bellingham?" never having been up this way. So on our way back from Bellingham I said,"Let's stop and see where Donna and Rich are moving to." We arrived on a Sunday in September and the weather was glorious. So out of curiosity, I suggested that we see what it costs to live up here, and we were astounded to see you could buy a new house for $200,000. Having been living in the Bay Area, we new this was a good deal. By Tuesday afternoon we signed papers to buy our property and to build a house. It was strictly on trust.  We knew nobody.

When did you start painting? Art runs in my family. We are all artists.  I come from a family of nine and five of us became artists in various mediums.  I am one of two that are still painting.  It is a hard profession.

Have you had any formal training? Yes, I attended the San Francisco Academy of Art in the 1970s.  I also had a private tutor in New Mexico, which is where I am from.  So I enrolled and decided to take up watercolors which I had never done: I had always worked in oils.  I was thinking to myself that I was just going to learn about it, that it was a new medium I needed to know something about, but the minute I started it, I loved it. But I still hadn't found my niche and one day, I was down at the waterfront, and I don't know why but I was always drawn to ships and boats and the water.  So while I was down there I stopped in a bookstore and picked up a book on Carl Evers' marine work. I looked at it and thought, 'This is it.'  So I decided this was going to be my calling and I didn't know enough about it but when you are a marine artist you have to know more than just how to paint.  You have to know all about the technicalities of a boat and water and the elements.  My first commission was a disaster.  My sails were going one way and the water was going another. From then on I said to myself, 'Buckle down and start learning.' So that's what I did.

What inspires you?  The beauty of God's creation.  As I look around I am overwhelmed.  I found that the creation that surrounds us, especially up here, is just so magnificent and I have always been drawn to the water.  Coming from New Mexico, where I was born and raised, is rather ironic.

In what medium do you paint?  If I am doing acrylics, I am enjoying it thoroughly. Then, when I finish working with acrylics and go back to watercolors, I think, 'Oh why did I leave this?' I don't paint as much with oils because of the smell of the thinner and because I am a sloppy painter.  I was in the studio once and I had a sofa at one end of the studio and my painting easel on the other end.  I would look at my work and go back and sit at the sofa and study then go back and make some more changes.  Finally, towards the end of the day, I look at the floor and saw footprints from when I stepped in the paint.

What kind of artist would you consider yourself?  I am a realist.  I specialize in marine art.  I am a contemporary painter.  I have always enjoyed the masters and in marine art there are so many fine old masters that I would love to reach the same heights someday.  But painting is an ongoing profession.  You never graduate; you just keep growing and striving for that ultimate reach. 

How do you market your work?  Artists make the worst business people.  For most of us, it's strictly experience, trial by error, word of mouth, and reputation.

Are you in any galleries?  Yes, I am over at the .  I was over at the for awhile but the galleries here change the way they market you and the way they market their art. With the times being what they are, everybody is going through a resurgence of what is going to take to keep the business going.  So, I am looking for a new gallery this year.

Is your family supportive?  My family is my husband since we have never had children.  Unfortunately, we were never blessed with that gift.  My husband is extremely supportive.  I couldn't do without him.  He is my right hand. He is my best critic. He is everything one needs.

What do you find most rewarding?  It is never the money or acclaim that you might get.  It's the deep satisfaction when you find somebody who sees something in that piece of work that you wanted them to see. It's then that you know you've achieved what you were aiming for.

Do you teach art? I have six students that I started teaching just one day a week.  I believe that we are all asked that while on this earth, we shouldn't just indulge ourselves but to also share our gifts and talents with others.

What are your future plans?  Just keep painting. 

Giorgina Wells' paintings will be featured at the from Dec. 17 to Jan. 15.