Garie Chavez - Artist & Musician
What is GC Creative Works and how long have you been in business?
GC Creative Works, located in North Peoria, Arizona, has been in business since 2015. I offer live edge wood design, fractal art and upcycled bottle art. All wood materials are locally- sourced and all of the wood and glass designs are handcrafted in North Peoria, Arizona.
What sort of art products do you make?
I custom create live edge art using the beauty of the wood, then magnify that beauty by adding fractal art, and when appropriate, add handcrafted upcycled wine bottles to design one-of-a-kind pieces.
My art designs include:
- Furniture: live edge dining tables; coffee tables; front entry tables; sofa tables; bar-top tables; end tables; office desks; floating headboards; and shelves.
- Functional art for the home: live edge charcuterie boards; magnetic knife holder, both table-top and wall-mount styles; magnetic firearms holders; liquor flight boards; bathtub caddies; and
wine holders.
- Sports memorabilia displays: live edge football holder and baseball bat holders.
- Musical accessories: live edge custom electric guitars with fractal art and live edge guitar hangers and stands.
- Memorabilia item: live edge guitar fractal wall art, memorial horse heart; abstract wall art; fractal crosses and hearts.
Why did you create GC Creative Works?
It all started in 1982 when I had just moved to Glendale, Arizona. I was in a small apartment with no furniture, so I decided to build my own. Fast forward to 2015, a good friend, who is an executive chef in a local Italian restaurant, was kind enough to give me the restaurant’s empty wine bottles to repurpose. I began designing candle holders and centerpieces using the bottles, then I realized a natural wood-designed base would complete the look and feel. So, I began recovering logs from weathered-down trees during monsoon season and throughout the year from homeowners and tree service companies. This allowed me to create 100% sustainable, repurposed live edge wood art designs. The best part … I found a way to combine live edge wood and upcycled wine bottles and turn them into functional art.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Starting a business on your own always has its challenges. There are budgetary costs to consider from buying equipment and tools, supplies, managing social media outlets and attending local venue art shows to get plenty of exposure. It’s requires your 100% mental and physical attention to detail. It is daily hard work every day but very satisfying because you create something so unique that I could not duplicate what I just created. The key to is have the passion and the love for what you do and the rest will follow. I was always told that you have to prospect every day and reinvent yourself.
What are you most proud of ?
I’m most proud and excited to always give back to the community. As a parent of a cancer survivor, I handcraft live edge PCH fractal hearts and donate part of the sales to Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation. The fractal art on the wood represents each child stricken with this disease, and the heart is the hope for a permanent cure. It is a small token of deep appreciation for finding a way to cure my son, Erik, who was diagnosed with liver cancer at the age of one.
I also create live edge guitar hangers with fractal art and donate part of the sales to Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Center, a non-profit organization whose mission is to make a difference in teens’ lives by helping them meet their spiritual, economical, physical and social needs. As a musician at the age of 13, playing guitar or any musical instrument was vitally important to me growing up. It kept me out of trouble, gave me self-confidence and was good for my soul. I learned you can accomplish anything in life if you stay committed and persevere.
Lastly, I support all the law enforcement agencies including DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), Phoenix Law Enforcement Association and FBI Phoenix Citizens Academy by donating live edge centerpieces. It’s a token of appreciation to the men and women of these organizations for their service to protect our community and our state.
What sets you apart from others?
Since every design is custom, listening to my customers and what they need or want, then patience, persistence, passion and attention to detail are the key ingredients to my work. My goal is for my clients to have a piece of handcrafted art they cherish, and know it is truly one-of-a-kind and made especially for them. Every art design is handcrafted and made in North Peoria, Arizona.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
First, I thank God for giving me the talent and the ability to be creative and make something unique, and it brings joy to my heart seeing my clients’ smiles, enthusiasm and contentment. I enjoy participating in local art shows, meeting different people and hearing them admire my work. Being an artist has taught me to treat everyone the same -regardless of race, religion, gender or political beliefs. Spreading kindness goes a long way in today’s society.
What is your goal that drives your creative journey?
My goal and mission is to have my art be part of households all over the world. Since all of my art is made from repurposed wood and glass, it’s vital to remember that recycling is crucial to the future health of our planet Earth. The benefits of having repurposed art helps conserve natural resources, protect our ecosystems and wildlife, reduce demand for raw materials, cut climate-changing carbon emissions and save energy. I am very proud to be able to contribute in any small way to allow our next generation to enjoy life here on Earth.
