I’ve know Leslie Lowinger for years, and had a pretty good idea what goes on at the Graphic Arts Workshop, but I was unaware of the early GAW members’ involvement in radical politics and heavy influence on San Francisco’s socially conscious designs. To get an upclose picture of the graphic Arts Workshop today, I spoke to Leslie about how her involvement with GAW has shaped her career.
Mari: What has been your biggest inspiration as an artist?
Leslie: My art career has been strongly influenced by my travels and my love of adventure. My choice of medium, style and content changes with the environment. In New York I painted landscapes. In Hamburg I studied printmaking. My San Francisco prints have taken on an oriental flavor. As I travel, I establish relationships and work on collaborative projects, group shows and events. I like working at the (Graphic Arts) Workshop because I get to work with people, share successes and failures.
Mari: I know you are involved in several arts groups in San Francisco. Which of the groups have helped the most to further your career as a printmaker?
Leslie: The equipment and camaraderie at the Graphic Arts Center are essential for my work as a printmaker. Artspan, producers of Open Studios, has been very effective for selling my work in San Francisco.
