By society's standards, GA Gardner was destined for a life of failure. Having to repeat Form Five after being unsuccessful at all but one of his O' Level examinations, most were convinced that the former Diego Martin Secondary student was going down the wrong path. By his own standards, however, Gardner knew that he was meant to be a success. Using his passion and talent for art, he proved that he was right. Today, the T&T-born US resident now holds a PHD in Art Education, and is a former professor at one of the more prestigious art institutions in the US.
Metamorphosis
Migrating to America at age 19, Gardner underwent a metamorphosis. Enrolling at Harrisburg Area Community College, where he studied Fine Art, was the beginning of that change. "Back home, I failed almost everything in academics, so I had to start from scratch. I needed to take remedial Math and English," he recalls. Determined to excel, Gardner turned his attention to the future and has never looked back. "I was ready to learn and I realised that I wasn't dumb. In Trinidad, I just wasn't focused. But I was going to prove to myself that I was going to do this." Passing all his subjects with flying colours, Gardner believed that with hard work, success was on the horizon.
Taking up an offer made by his then art teacher to live with her parents in California to gain exposure in the field proved a positive move. "Animation was big there and she saw my potential," he says. While in California, Gardner enrolled at the City College of San Francisco, where he eventually became an art gallery assistant. Graduating from the college two years later, he moved on to San Francisco State University, where he obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Arts.
LEFT: The man behind the art, artist GA Gardner.
RIGHT: A piece titled Haiti (Hope for the Children), created by Gardner to help raise funds for Haiti.
He was 22. One year later, at that same university, Gardner completed his Master's Degree in Education Technology. He was later offered a "very lucrative" job at California's prestigious George Lucas Studios, but he turned it down to pursue his PHD. At 25, he achieved his goal, graduating with a Doctorate in Art Education from Ohio State University, where he went on to create fine art at the University's Advanced Computing Centre for the Arts and Design. Gardner became a professor at William Paterson University, New Jersey, shortly after.
Figure out your purpose
Now a full-time artist, Gardner, 41, has had nine solo exhibitions for the year thus far, 30 over his career. His work has been shown in galleries and museums throughout the US and Asia. Describing his art as "the expression of colour," he says, "The extreme colours and textures of the earth, or the abstractions, transparency and layering of organic formations, all inspire me to explore and create. In essence, my work is not abstract, rather it's a representation of abstract subjects in our environment."
With an exhibition set for France in October and another in his homeland four months earlier, Gardner is working on propelling his brand. His advice to others in similar situations: "Figure out your purpose in life. Enjoy everything you do. If you enjoy it, success and everything else will follow." By society's standards, GA Gardner is destined for further success. By his own standards, he agrees.
Want to contact Gardner?
Visit: www.studiogardner.com or
studiogardner@gmail.com