Tamela Ekstrom

 

Why are you an artist? 

 

Hmmm… I would say it’s always been in me….in my family.  I was exposed to it all the time. My Mom is an accomplished artist, working in ceramics, jewelry, wood and paint.   She used to teach in art to inner-city kids in downtown Detroit.  When she talked about batik she would talk about Indonesian or Balinese culture….she would tell us about the people who made the art work. This fascinated me.  This made me want to travel when I was older.  She made it simple.  She encouraged my brother and me to experiment.  I remember one day we made our own paper in a blender; we even picked flowers from the garden to make interesting colors and textures.  Also, my Swedish Grandmother is a landscape artist, painting the landscape of North Dakota.  We had her paintings of my Grandparents farm in our dining room.  My brother was also a photographer for the main paper in Detroit and photographed, and more importantly, talked to amazing people like President’s Ford, Bush, and Carter.  Also musicians like Thelonious Monk, artists like Keith Haring, actresses like Lily Tomlin.  He is now in advertising.  His photos are among the best I’ve ever seen, he has won many awards and scholarships for his work.  But more importantly, to me, he knows the stories of the people he met.

 

Could you tell us some more about your artwork?

 

Sure.  When I photograph or paint musicians or actors, I am interested in the “moment” they are in. 

 

Is the subject important to you, or do you simply make art to express yourself? 

 

Subject matter is very important to me.  What I am becoming most known for is portraits of actors, and musicians. But I work from photographs, so families hire me to paint their children, parents, even grandparents.  Whether it’s photography or painting.  I hear people’s stories or music and am inspired to capture a moment in their life.  The people in the portraits have a story to tell.  I’m usually interested in the story they don’t just tell anyone, but I hear it and then I see it and I want to show it.

What artists have influenced you, and how? 

 

Sometimes it’s the artist I am friends with.  Jeremy Sutton took me to a concert with Zoe Keating and he was taking photos when she was singing and I remember thinking I wish I had my camera!  Zoë was so into the song and later it made me think about some photos I took of Tears for Fears and Green Day, and I got those out for a series I’m doing on “Rock Stars”.  For photography, Giuliano Bekor is a huge influence.  He has the most amazing mixture of flat matte with vibrant colors mingled in. He does work for 7x7 magazine in SF and I would love to do the same.  In my textural pieces, I try to accomplish the same thing.  (See “Miko in NYC”)  Michael Kalish is also a recent fav…he also does portraits which are hard to do.  Chuck Close….he is an obvious icon of mine when people see my work.  At one point, he had a blood clot in his spinal cord.  This rendered him paralyzed, but instead of giving up,  he looked at things differently and taught himself how to paint using his mouth to hold the paintbrush.  Amazing.  He went from being very detailed in finite strokes before the stroke,  to using blobs of paint to create a new effect after the stroke.  I saw a painting of his in this barn that was converted into a loft-like space.  When you stood 50 feet away you saw the face, when you were up close you weren’t quite sure what it was.  This fascinated me as I think that is how we see people most times.  If we are too close, things are convoluted or fuzzy….but if we allow ourselves to step back…. we see the big picture.  It’s not about whether you know this person or not, but what the image says to you. 

What inspires you to paint and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio? 

 

Music is always an inspiration. I have to paint with music; it transports me to another place.  “Nobody’s Home” by Avril Lavigne or “Mama” by Beth Hart fueled the painting “Ireta 1965”.  “I can’t drive 55” by Sammy Hagar and “ “The Child is Gone” by Fiona Apple, and “Dreaming of the fall” by Red-Guitar are three for “Stephen 2005”.  By the time I’m done painting a portrait I have a CD of songs that inspired it.  I also watch people.  Then I might write a poem or have a dream about what I have seen. At that point I feel compelled to paint someone, to capture this feeling in their eyes, usually in this moment they had to make the decision to be strong. 

How have you handled the business side of being an artist? 

 

I’m still learning, but my life changed once I got a space at Art Explosion.  The other artists are very supportive and answer any questions I have.  Prior to that I painted in my kitchen, I had just moved here and didn’t know anyone.  I didn’t know how to get my work “out there”.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out? 

 

Just go out and buy a canvas and PAINT.  Or pick up a piece of wood and draw on it.  Whatever.  Just do it.  I started out, bored, in Dallas.  I began by re-producing Matisse and Warhol and others.  I gave my parents a piece I had done of the hands in the “Creation” for Christmas and my Dad put it in the back corner of his work out room.  The furthest point from anyone seeing it.  Oh, how awful.  He told me to come back to him with an original, a creation of my own.  Then, he said, I would be an artist.  I was so deflated, embarrassed, and hurt at the time.  But it was the best advice ever.  Because it allowed me the freedom to just do it!!  You will hear people say they don’t understand your work, you will hear people say it’s just a “dream”.  And it’s the worst ever.  BUT THEN you meet the person that loves what you made, and they buy something you created and they just “get it” and it’s the most incredible feeling.  They are happy, you are happy, and it’s a win-win situation.  So just do it.  And then tell me you did because you read this.  I want to know I might have inspired you. 

What do you do for fun (besides painting)? 

 

My favorite thing is my family and friends….and traveling either with them or to go see them.  I have been to some cool places in the world with them.  Also, I love being on the water….boating is my favorite. Bonfires on the beach with friends telling stories has to be a favorite….and it actually happens in San Francisco! I also take my 4 nephews camping and those are the best.  We go biking and hiking.  That doesn’t happen every weekend, so going to art events or to dinner and drinks is pretty darn good too.