Life & Work with Sylvia Fugmann Brongo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sylvia Fugmann Brongo

Hi Sylvia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey started as a child. I’ve always gravitated towards making art and focused on this throughout high school and into my college years, graduating with the degree in art education. Soon there after I began my studio work in 1983. I’ve been a working artist ever since, either doing wholesale directly to galleries or retail traveling to art shows throughout the north eastern states. I now live in Arizona, and for nearly 20 years I’ve enjoyed bright sunshine along with inspiration from the Sonoran desert. I have gallery representation at the Wild Holly Gallery in Carefree. I also participate in a studio tour, called Hidden in the Hills, where I am a host studio at my home, and provide space to guest artists. I have been participating in this show for 19 years.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As in life, there are plenty of bumps in the road, when managing a career in the arts. It takes quite a bit of effort from a marketing standpoint to get your name, imagery, and reputation out there to develop a following. There is definitely an ebb and flow when having to work around economic downturns, or even styles and trends that are “on fire,” at one point, then cool off. The challenge is to stay true to your artistic soul, yet provide work that resonates with your customers. That balancing act is constant. Just about the time I moved from New York to Arizona, the last great recession hit. I needed to step away from my art world and decided to go back to college. Through that experience I networked my way into work that lasted almost 8 years. It was in a community college nearby where I could resume creative efforts into event planning, managing a scholarship, and teaching students about the college offerings. I was still able to exercise my creativity in a different way, which was rewarding. But I had a strong longing to go back to creating my artwork, which I did in 2018.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have always focused on creating sculptural, organic pieces in clay. I mostly create vessels, such as vases, bowls, and wall pieces. For decades, I also created a line of porcelain flowers, replicating, lilies, irises, roses, etc., for followers, and collectors, who would purchase one or several towards creating large bouquets placed in a vase. It was a hard decision to break away from this line of work, but learned that I just needed the time to go forward with other designs. So these days, I am working in a mixed media. I carve panels of wood as a wall piece, and collage my hand sculpted clay, including pieces of textured metals, and include special rocks, agates, and fossils, that I find on rock hounding trips. I have also created a series of outdoor totem sculptures. My range of work is quite diverse. Perhaps what sets me apart from others is that I have this versatility and enjoy different expressions depending on my mood. I feel like I’m back to playing around with different imagery, and raw materials, experimenting with no boundaries, perhaps as a child would play.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
After so many years of working in the studio, sometimes you get quite self absorbed, or complacent. I have learned, as I have matured, to break out of that routine, and discover other facets of myself. Over the last nearly 7 years, I have traveled around the USA in my camper RV van. She’s called the Sylver Gypsy. She has allowed me to explore travel, finding camp areas mostly in the national forest, and state parks. I enjoy the challenge, and the excitement in finding a remote, rural destination, at a picture postcard camp spot. It allows me to be one with nature, feeds my soul, and gives me peace, which in turn inspires me to create more art. I enjoyed an extensive trip in 2023, where I drove through Canada to Alaska, covering over 11,500 miles in a four month span, truly a lifetime opportunity. I do take some art materials with me, creating smaller pieces in wood, clay, and metal, as I travel. I consider my RV a studio on wheels.

Pricing:

• I have a variety of prices from $30-$2400

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sylvia-art.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sylvia.brongo and https://www.facebook.com/groups/346244457197088
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ae9cmsvW1E&t=1s

Image Credits
Sylvia Fugmann Brongo