25 July 27th–Aug 2nd, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | FULL BAR! 2003 Bills of $50 or more Dine-In or Take Out Not Including Combinations Dinner Only Expires 12/31/23 Closed On Tuesdays $5 OFF 2050 N. Alma School Rd., #36 • 480.857.4188 Space to Create Inside artist Gennaro Garcia’s Grand Avenue studio. BY GERI KOEPPEL G ennaro Garcia opened a new studio this year in the Grand Avenue arts district, and like the artist himself, it’s unpre- tentious and not easily pegged. Studio Gennaro Garcia is a workshop with a wall of dozens of spray paint cans and a smattering of stretched canvases ready for his next ideas. But it also is a space to display and sell sculptures, large- format paintings, wood carvings, prints and Talavera pottery and dishware. For those who aren’t in the market for an original piece that can run into the thousands of dollars, he also has a stash of stickers, coasters, T-shirts and tote bags. The studio is open by appointment and on some First Fridays when Garcia’s not off working on special events with chefs or co-creating wines. One of his latest creative endeavors is collaborating with Kris Magnussen of Lechuza Wines in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico, which they’re in the process of launching. “For me, the best part of being an artist is the learning process of creating art,” Garcia says. “That’s my adrenalina, my rush. That’s what I live for. To help, learn and collaborate.” Combining the palate and palette Thanks to his work at local restaurants and galleries, Garcia is one of the Valley’s best- known and most prolific artists. He’s done the interior design for Taco Chelo on Roosevelt Row, which he co-owns with Aaron Chamberlin and Suny Santana; Ghost Ranch in Tempe; seven locations of Barrio Queen; and others. At Talavera at the Four Seasons Scottsdale, he created a mural and displays work for sale. In addition to his studio, his work is available at For the People, Practical Art, Roy’s Contemporary Gallery and Xico, Inc. Peering through oversized, thick, black- rimmed glasses, the slim, salt-and-pepper- haired Garcia talks earnestly about art, food and his inspirations. “Gastronomy and art, it goes together so well,” Garcia says. “For me, it’s my two passions. I grew up in the kitchen with my family and now I’m collaborating with the best chefs.” And in fact, this fall he plans to start hosting intimate dinners in his studio at a communal table he built. “Every time that I go to Mexico City, I have this really good friend of mine, I will let her know I will be there this date and she will curate a beautiful dinner for a group of people,” Garcia says. “We have a special menu. We drink wine and we eat and we talk and it’s the most unforgettable evening you can imagine.” He aims to replicate that in Studio Gennaro Garcia. “The idea is to bring chefs from Mexico and local chefs and do a small event for 12 to 14 people,” Garcia explains. “The idea is to have my food, serve it on my plates with all my art around it. It’ll be a whole experience.” An avid cook himself, Garcia plans to participate in making the meals. He custom-designed a grill he can wheel out of his studio and says he has a complete outdoor kitchen at his home in Ahwatukee, including an Argentinian wood grill, yaki- tori grill, gas grill and charcoal oven. “At least five days a week I cook outside, even in summer,” he says. It’s no surprise that Garcia grew up in the restaurant business. His father and uncles owned a restaurant when he was young, and he opened three restaurants in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, by his mid-20s. After moving to the U.S. in the mid- 1990s, Garcia managed a restaurant in Yuma and later married Briseida Silva and moved to Phoenix. The Genanro Garcia Geri Koeppel Gennaro Garcia poses in his studio on Grand Avenue. This painting of a skull is actually a tower of mushrooms. ▼ Culture >> p 26
