Meet Wally Graham | Sculptor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Wally Graham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Wally, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have always been one to do my own thing. After completing my degree in the mid-eighties (Syracuse University), most of my peers were starting careers in NYC, tied to phones and office positions, (remember this was the age before cellphones and remote work), which just wasn’t attractive to me. I made the move in 1989 to Aspen which had such a great entrepreneurial energy and spirit in having a balanced existence. I saw an available niche in recycling, as Pitkin County was starting the first recycling initiative in the Valley, and I literally jumped in and started Wally’s Recycling. Literally, in the sense, I started banging on doors: hotels, restaurants, bars, businesses and residences and dumpster diving the get cans and bottles and other recyclable materials. Recycling, and the hard work necessary to do it correctly, has always been of significant importance to me.

Over time, Wally’s Recycling grew into Waste Solutions, a full-service commercial and residential trash business serving the Roaring Fork Valley, which I sold to Waste Management in 2009.

It was during my trash career, where I started sculpting, using found materials, mostly found metal, wood and stone. There was always a stash in the back of my truck from those dumpster diving days, which would go back to my studio space. This recycling mindset has carried through in my artwork ever since.

Fast-forward a decade of focusing on my artwork in many forms and disciplines, and in 2019 I launched Wally Studio (www.WALLYStudio.com) where I have been putting my work out in the universe through exhibitions, public & commercial installations, and private collections.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I strive to be an “Abstract Constructivist” sculptor. Scavenging to find materials and seeing figures in the construction of these recycled pieces is something I enjoy as an artist.

What I have learned along the way is you have to put the time in. It’s the same hard work and discipline needed as in any venture, but creating art for art-sake is more fun, and it’s extremely fulfilling when someone connects with one of my pieces/creations.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It depends on the season! We have the good fortune of living in the Roaring Fork Valley, with my studio up on Missouri Heights in Carbondale- every season is majestic. There are so many other-worldly activity options including skiing, hiking, biking, camping, and restaurant choices Valley-wide, you could create a new once-in-a-lifetime experience on any given day.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mother Adeline. She was always the beacon of letting our creative side flourish. Being an artist was always something she supported in her children, when most were quick to say “but you have to have a real job.”

It was in honor of her life, love and actions, that along with my wife Kristen, we launched “The Addy Foundation” which supports arts programs in Colorado. The Addy Foundation’s mission is to support the arts in Colorado through a grant program available to nonprofit organizations, focusing on programs that support the arts in education, arts in the community, and arts in the environment. (www.theaddyfoundation.com). All of the proceeds from Wally Studio and my artwork support The Addy Foundation.

Website: www.wallystudio.com

Instagram: @wallyartist

Image Credits
Alex Malkin/House of Zander and Roshni Goru