How I got Unstuck
The book. Fairy Tale Remnants. I've been working on it for the past six months, two years if you include all the artwork. Every free moment, the moments that weren't free, time I should have been doing something else, I spent on that book. Letting dinner burn on the stove while I tried to teach myself InDesign. Hours learning how to put it together. Figuring it out on the fly, realizing afterward there was a better way to do this or that. Next time. Next book.
Why did I do it in the first place? I have a home, a family, my son is 12. I'm an artist, my husband is an artist. Negotiating financial survival in a city like Los Angeles is stressful enough. Carving out time to make art, making a living as a freelance artist is hard enough. Why did I want another project?
I was angry. I did all the right things, went to openings, was consistent in my art practice, exhibiting in galleries whenever and wherever I could, had collectors that bought my work, but it didn't feel like it mattered. Social media is great, I connect with a larger audience for my paintings that I couldn't have imagined 20 years ago, when I was toiling away like a hermit in my studio pre-internet, but I was still pissed off.
What was the problem? Why was I so angry? It came to me out of utter despair. I wanted to share my paintings, my thoughts, with people, and I wasn't feeling it. I make artwork about a world that rarely makes sense to me. At best, a world that seems absurd; at worst, terribly frightening. I was sure other people felt the same way, and that seeing these painted allegories in waking life made would make them feel better.
It hit me like a ton of bricks. These paintings belonged together in a book. Not only because they were telling a bigger story, but because in a book a person could be alone with all of them, on their terms. The illustrations, dreams, thoughts in prose could all be theirs, in their own private space.
I had to work backwards and extract the words from the artwork, get it all into a book and get the book out into the world.
Joining self-publishing groups on Facebook, I took notes on problems and solutions using Amazon's KDP for print on demand books. I watched tutorials on the finer points of typesetting (and burned more dinners in the process). Reading up on the newest approaches for planting the right keywords for a book to be found in searches, I had a thick folder of words, categories, and diagrams. Flipping through these papers, some of the information became familiar as though I’d known these things for years, and some of the writing looked like it was done by a lunatic creating unintelligible code.
Then there was social media. Not only was I an artist and designer but an author as well. I needed the official branding of me to follow suit with the life transformation I was crafting as I was metamorphosing into this new creature. I'm still burning dinners while learning about how to prepare a better press kit.
My book. I finished it, I'm proud of it. A woman contacted me today telling me how she identified with the piece "Birthday Party" in Fairy Tale Remnants. She knew that faraway look of exhaustion in the mother's eyes, the pining for the last balloon to burst. She wasn't the only one that had that unnamable combination of feelings. She knew I knew it, too.
Fairy Tale Remnants is available in paperback on Amazon.
Nathalie Tierce is an artist, designer, and writer living in Los Angeles with her sculptor husband and son.
#whatimwriting #whatimworkingon #workingmom #audience
Book Monster
What fun being out and talking about the art (that inspired the book) at Book Monster on Saturday. It was fascinating hearing how the images and writing affected people, what memories, feelings and ideas it conjured.
The Strange Patrons of "Night Club"
in art, artist, artist's work
Here I talk about the process behind the painting “Night Club”, part of the Fairy Tale Remnants collection and book.
What makes a super cool Christmas gift? A signed copy of "Fairy tale Remnants"
Book Signing and Exhibit of "Fairy Tale Remnants"
I’m excited to announce my book signing event that will also feature original artwork from Fairy Tale Remnants at Book Monster located at 212 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401 on December 14th, from
1 pm to 3 pm.
Hope to see you there!
The Story Behind "Fishman"
Revisiting a finished art piece to talk about the process is a weird thing. It's like trying to remember a dream you've had, and what happened first, what you felt, harder still, inspiration doesn't occur rationally, adhering to the laws of time and space.
The only thing that makes talking about a painting or drawing easier than a dream is the content of the art is a little like having a road map, but it's foggy out, and you have a terrible sense of direction.
For me, it's a matter of taking your time and retracing your steps through the things you do remember. The analogy of sharing the creative process is finding your way back to a hotel in a new city. Catching sight of a particular tree and recalling you made a left. A dilapidated building reminded you of a fleeting sense of sadness you had when you crossed the street to the other side. You grope your way home.
The video of me in the studio, talking about the development of this work can be seen by clicking the link below.
How an Image is Born "Philosophical Argument Gone Wrong"
Ideas are strange things. Stranger still is the way feelings and thoughts that have no words make their way into a painting or work of art.
Chasing something like a vision is a delicate pursuit. Chasing is the wrong word. It’s more like waiting, watching and trying catch glimpse of what you’re looking for then gently listening to what you need to do. It requires insane amounts of patience and solitude. It’s like trying to catch a butterfly with your bare hands. Waving your arms around like a lunatic will only frighten it away. If you lunge at it, you’ll probably fall on your face and scare it away for good.
Below is a link to a video I did in the studio talking about this piece, “Philosophical Argument Gone Wrong” that made it into the book “Fairy Tale Remnants” and how it came to be. Enjoy.
The Unboxing of "Fairy Tale Remnants"
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1734187409/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cool preview of my book "Fairy Tale Remnants" in ebook form
As an artist, the parts of the painting come to me like shards of glass. Piecing the bits together lets me see the story in the round. Fragments from memories, hopes, and fears speak as dreams speak to us about the things we feel and desire but cannot describe with words.
As these images appear, they explain to me why they exist in the way songs deliver lyrics to my mind. I understand the myth through the road map made by the work of art.
Angry animals, confused or clueless prey. The magical landscape that holds these players on the stage of the absurd asks us, "who are we in this dreamscape?"
Reverse Engineering a Myth
People often ask me where the ideas for my paintings and drawings come from. While I have a general idea of things that interest me, the specific way it appears is a series of surprises for me.
Some of the inspiration for these subconsciously fueled images come from my childhood and young adulthood. Watching cartoons from Tom and Jerry to Felix the Cat, reading comic books like Mad Magazine to Weirdo to Viz. Graphic novels by Edward Gorey and Alice in Wonderland were heaven to me. Catching an episode of Monty Python was the height of joy for me as an eleven-year-old. Drawn to the surreal and the absurd, anthropomorphic beasts from everywhere from Hindu Mythology to fairies from Celtic myths to talking crows in Aesop's Fables made their way into my thinking.
The illustrated writings in Fairy Tale Remnants are reverse engineered. The process creates the content of the painting. The finished painting dictates the story.
The search for where or how to begin the painting starts with music. Jazz, Blues, Rock, Classical, David Boeddinghaus, Arctic Monkeys, Paul Weller, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Sharon Jones, Amy Whitehouse, Tom Waits, it doesn't matter, it's about how I feel on the day.
Brushing, splattering, smearing glazes and washes of paint on the surface of a canvas or paper, I let the medium do what it wants and follow along — usually working on a few pieces at the same time. This intuitive process is where I'm just responding to what abstract shapes and colors intrigue me. Editing happens while I'm working in layers and drawing or painting over what has happened before.
Starting with a dark surface filled with random shapes and marks, I set a piece on the easel and stare at it. I do this for a long time, looking for what I see in the shadows. After looking long enough, the edge of a figure will creep out; I'll start to hunt for its form. I search for a long time, asking myself, "Who or what is this? What are they doing?" Quite often, I'm stunned to see who's shown up. Then the next question is, "Why are they here? Are they reacting to someone else?" As it turns out, the characters I discover wind up telling me what they want. In Fairy Tale Remnants, these characters end up acting in a comedic tragedy. Animals, sexy women, sumos, dreamers, villains, exasperated mothers, and misfits are chasing or running from the push and pull of fear and desire.
When I've finished a painting or a drawing, I put it away. Visually, I understand what's happening, but don't have the words to express its essence. It's similar to watching a ritual or shamanistic ceremony whose function is a secret but fills me with awe. Once I've been away from it and see it with fresh eyes, it's though I always knew what the fable or myth was, and allows me to find the words.
Fairy Tale Remnants Book
I’m very excited to announce the Fairy Tale Remnants book project I’ve been working on. A combination of my mixed media pieces from the series of the same name and combines it with short prose I’ve written to accompany them.
Stay tuned for updates and launch dates.
Works on Paper - Brand 47 Annual Juried Exhibition
I am thrilled to announce that my piece “In The Garden” has been selected for inclusion to the Brand 47 Annual Juried Exhibition.
The exhibition is curated by Alma Ruiz, longtime former senior curator at Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
The show runs from September 7th through October 25th at The Brand Art Center in Glendale, CA. Opening September 7th, 7pm to 9pm.
The Big Projection Project
“In The Garden” Mixed Media, Nathalie Tierce 2019
Over the moon to have my artwork included in these events. Stephen Levey is featuring local Los Angeles artist’s work and projecting images of their work two and three stories high in a series titled Stephen Levey’s “Big Projection Project”.
My paintings and drawings were projected on buildings in the West Hollywood area, it was a thrill to see the art this way and a lot of fun to watch people’s reaction.
You can see all the artists included by following Stephen on Facebook @Stephen Levey or on Instagram @leveyangeles
“Stolen Innocence” Mixed Media, 2019 Nathalie Tierce
“Uh Oh” Acrylic on Canvas, 2019 Nathalie Tierce
“Beside and Behind You” Mixed Media on Canvas, 2019 Nathalie Tierce
Artists, Art, & Story: A Moment in Time, 2018
I’m delighted to be part of this collection of stories from artists that share events and their thoughts that led to a work of art they created.
The painting I’ve written about was “Prehistoric Violence” a mixed media piece 40” x60”. Typical of many of the mixed media pieces I make, the imagery and surface evolve together. There is no preparatory drawing. I searched for the edges of this figure within the reaction of paint to sand, water to paint.
Editing what didn’t say what was true and highlighting what brought the image closer to clarity, I carried on that way until I saw her.
The story is about her and the thoughts I had about how she might have lived.
Nude Art L.A. Event at Cooper Design Space
I am very pleased to have paintings from my “Bodies in Motion” series included in this year’s Nude Art L.A. Event at the Cooper Design Space in downtown Los Angeles.
There will be painting, sculpture, performance and fashion on two days, March 29th and 30th. Tickets are available through the link below.
Hope to see you there!
https://bit.ly/2HZ7se0
The Brush Off
I’ve been fortunate enough to be asked by the very talented photographer Jeffrey Sklan to be one of the subjects in his book of artist portraits titled “The Brush Off”.
He took a lot of photographs, but the time just flew by in the bat of an eyelash. Because it was fun. I don’t know which of the images taken will be used, but this was my favorite.
Being photographed is a strange thing. As a painter, you spend a lot of time alone, looking, searching…painting, listening to what the image is saying. Having the roles reversed is tough.
I don’t know if most artists start out introverted to some extent, or the work induces it. Social media has forced me to speak into the camera, share images of myself all of which has been very challenging.
Two years ago I think this shoot wouldn’t have gone as well. Much credit goes to Jeffery for putting me at ease as well as the gentle vibe of his assistant and daughter, Marina Sklan.
Bombay Saphire Artisan Series
So excited that my painting "City" was selected as in the semifinals for The Bombay Saphire Artisan Series, Los Angeles region. The piece will be on a show with 20 others in October. I will post details.
'Dysfunctional Machine' at Space 2531
Curated by Cathy Immordino, the solo show of my paintings charts the individual's struggle between our natural impulses and the societal, political and architectural structures we live within. I investigate the discord between these dysfunctional machines and ourselves.
