With an Artistic Flair, Abigail Garcia Helps Keep Projects On Track
As a young girl, Abigail Garcia’s limited knowledge of the English language didn’t hinder her from developing effective communication skills.
It just motivated her to get creative.
As a young girl, Abigail Garcia’s limited knowledge of the English language didn’t hinder her from developing effective communication skills.
It just motivated her to get creative.
“In kindergarten, I started drawing to try and explain things to my friends,” recalls Garcia, who was born in the border town of Laredo, Texas, and moved to the village of Paw Paw, Michigan, with her family at the age of two. “Everyone told me I was such a good artist, and I didn't even know what that word meant. But I figured I must be pretty good at it.”
As Garcia developed her English skills and honed her artistic talents, she went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). After graduation, she secured a part-time gig at the Guggenheim Museum located at The Venetian resort. She also worked at the ESPN Zone entertainment venue at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino.
But the decline in the hospitality and tourism industry in the wake of 9/11 convinced Garcia to move back to Michigan before eventually settling in St. Louis.
She started learning about engineering and construction while working for the City of Webster Groves. “I did a lot with permitting and ticketing, and I got used to working with engineers,” she says.
Garcia deepened her industry experience during her 10-year tenure at Farnsworth Group, an engineering and architecture firm based in Webster Groves.
As fate would have it, her son attended preschool with the daughter of Christie Brinkman, former Castle Director of Design-Build. “One day, we were all at a birthday party and Christie said, ‘I think there's a great opportunity for you at Castle,’ Garcia shares. “And here I am.”
Since joining Castle in 2022 as project coordinator, Garcia has relied heavily on her communication skills while engaging with project managers (PMs), foremen and superintendents to set up jobs and keep them running smoothly. Her responsibilities include helping PMs assess their current manpower and work activities as well as supporting field teams with necessary resources.
“I just love the people here,” she notes. “They treat me as an equal and trust me to do my job, which I really appreciate.”
Artistic Expressions
A maple leaf inspired Garcia to develop her current artistic focus, which involves painting directly on a variety of plant materials such as leaves, flowers and bark.
“I found this perfect maple leaf and was so fascinated by it,” she recalls, “so I took it home and decided to experiment with using different acrylics to preserve it. Then I had to figure out how to paint on it carefully.”
Her creativity is evident in a recent piece, titled “The Hands That Feed Us,” composed of corn husks that feature the Aztec goddess of agriculture surrounded by immigrant workers.
Garcia regularly exhibits her unique artwork at high-profiles venues across the region, including the Missouri History Museum, The Muny, Washington University and Webster Arts. She also led a “Sip & Paint” class at Castle where she taught participants how to paint flamingos on a wine glass. “It was so much fun,” she says.
Garcia is also proud of three other creations: her kids. Daughter Angelina (18) is studying music theory at the University of Missouri in Columbia, son Cristiano (16) is a student at Kirkwood High School and son Mateo (8) is in the second grade.
