In the midst of my career as a shop keeper, I craved time with my daughter. When I asked what she wanted to do for Spring Break, she said she wanted to have an “art day.” So I booked time in my friends’ studio (before I got my own space at the Hatton House!) and off we went. We each created two pieces on our own, then collaborated on this piece. It was my first big break into abstract (and pallet knives, which I now love), and I don’t know if I would have gotten there without a shove from my daughter.
Acrylic on 54×61″ canvas, Not for Sale
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A progress shot, photo documentation that Aviva is slowly learning it’s OK to be messy as an artist, a lesson taught to me by Caren Raphael, a New York based artist who taught children’s art at my hometown Montclair Art Museum. I was her assistant my senior year in high school. One day, she said “Tanya, you’re a very neat artist.” I said “Thanks.” She said “It’s not a compliment.” We all have important lessons to learn, especially from our early mentors. I’m pretty sure she’d be proud of how far I’ve come, messiness and otherwise.
Hatton House Diaries 