Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Nicole Googe.
Courtney Nicole, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After graduating with my Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Dallas in 2018, I did the run-around for a few years, teaching a variety of classes all over DFW until I joined the full-time art faculty at Tarrant County College in 2024; I teach printmaking, design, and art appreciation at south campus.
In the summer of 2018, I took my first trip to Mudhouse Residency in Crete (Greece) and since then I’ve returned almost every summer, either to teach a workshop or expand my own body of work. I love to travel and other recent residencies include Infrathin Residency in Concan, TX; Soon Art Studio in Vienna, Austria; and Sou’Wester Arts in Seaview, Washington.
With each new time away from my home studio I meet some great people and become inspired by the location and culture. And I get to play with new personas. For example, while I was in at the Infrathin Residency, where they had a couple goats, I decided to play with the idea of a contemporary female satyr of (originally) Greek mythology. See photos!
Earlier this year I had a solo exhibition, “It’s Not About Me” at Mighty Fine Arts Gallery in Oakcliff. It was perfect timing as I was wrapping up a large body of work focused on love and heartbreak- and it was the first time I brought my poetry out of my private journals into the public eye. I am thankful to Manuel Pecina (Ant Colony) and Steve Cruz for seeing something in this body of work worth sharing. I’m including some favorite prints from the exhibition: “Banana Cupcake,” “Salty Lover,” and “Anything but Paint.”
Quickly following that show, I had another solo exhibition in Vienna at the end of my residency in March. “On Repeat” featured wheat-pasted prints inspired by the patterns of Viennese Secession in addition to spray-paint/stencil work influenced by the street art and the historic architecture of the city. I also got to design and create the backdrop to a comedy show which took place in the gallery there.
I actually just returned from Washington state where I spent time at this amazing historic lodge surrounded by vintage trailers and airstreams, only a few minutes walk away from the Pacific Ocean. I’m still editing the photos I took and processing the experience before translating it to new work. Sidenote- I designed and assembled an orca whale mermaid tail for this residency specifically. Again, see photos!
This year I’ll be focused on zine exploration and production, developing a workshop for the upcoming zine fest here in Fort Worth.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is it ever a smooth road? Everyone faces different struggles.
Faith in myself and my work comes and goes. And when I am lacking confidence, it’s discipline that keeps me moving. The self-discipline to keep learning and intentionally seeking inspiration, to keep making…something…because I know it will eventually lead somewhere exciting.
Finding time to make work while having a full-time job can be difficult. Making time and protecting that time then needs to be a priority.
Receiving encouragement and support from a community (whether it’s friends, colleagues, or family) is also a necessity to help overcome those struggles when they arise.
Find and prioritize those people in your life that believe in you when you are lacking that faith in yourself. (And the flipside too, if you discover people in your circle that don’t believe in you, cut them out.)
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a printmaker first and foremost, but I also do photography, write, make books and zines; occasionally videos, textiles work, and installation. With a grin, I often state I’ll do anything except paint.
My make self-portraits. I feel right only telling my story, no one else’s. I play with persona, bringing in mythology and symbolism, and then let that imagery inspire my writing. The images and text eventually come together as a zine or a series of prints.
I’ve developed a registration system for reduction relief printing (my favorite process) that I’ve taught at a few different workshops both locally and internationally. Registration is the way the printmaker lines up the paper exactly right each time, for each layer printed. I am quite proud of this technique, as I’ve been tweaking it for years to get it to this point. Reduction printmaking has always been my preferred process, but registration can be so frustrating! One can usually expect a 20% failure rate. With my system, I can drastically reduce that failure rate to almost nothing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck happens, sure, but never depend on it. Back luck, too, but usually that’s simply life outside of your control. I hate to be cliche, but like they say, luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity.
Know what you want, no matter how “crazy” or improbable.
Work like what you want IS going to happen! Prepare for the opportunities you want, even if other people tell you it’s ridiculous or irrational. Because if those opportunities do arise and you’re not prepared…that does feel like bad luck, but that’s then of your own making.
I always wanted to travel with my work, for me that was the definition of success. So I made sure I was working in a way where if the opportunity to travel came up, I’d be ready- either with finished work, a project idea, or a means of creating without fancy equipment (a press) or tools.
It was this mindset that has allowed me to return to Greece many times, to spend 2 weeks in Vienna spray-painting my body on the walls of the canal, and to travel to different areas of the US, dressing up, being silly, and taking photos.
For example, in January 2025 at Infrathin Residency, some of those silly photos came from “Ninth Street Women,” which I had been reading and highly recommend. Such inspired, I decided to mock Jackson Pollock a bit…smoking and spray-painting on the floor of a renovated school bus.
Pricing:
- See my work at Hogan Alley off Houston St. in downtown Fort Worth
- Contact me via email (courtneyngooge@gmail.com) or Instagram to set up a purchase!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://courtneynicolegooge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneynicolegooge/
