My personal designs are heavily inspired by my love of nature, art and colour, therefore I couldn't resist the opportunity to interview abstract artist TEG Creations, talking about her own creative inspirations, her business heroes and the best piece of advice she's been given!
My name is Tanya Glass. I live in North London with my husband and three incredible boys. I have been an artist at heart since I was a child. Approximately 2 years ago I regained my love for it having had a career in PR/Marketing/Events and raising a family. I’m now a full time artist and part time cook and fitness enthusiast.
What inspired you to work in your chosen profession?
It wasn’t really what inspired me but who and how. In 2018, I decided that whilst being a mother, I had an itch to explore my creative side again. It had been sometime since I had picked up a paint brush, so it was an exciting prospect. I attended my friend’s art class (@arthubldn), where likeminded women gather to paint, listen to music and have a natter as well as explore the artist within us. My imaginative juices began to flow again and I fell back in love. It became a therapy for me. I set up an Instagram page and took on a challenge in the lead up to my 40th birthday to paint 40 paintings before I turned 40 (which was last October (2020). I never really set out to make my art my profession but it’s been dictated to me to do so, thankfully. Then there’s the internal questions that come with it, ‘am I good enough? Will anyone like my work?’. I felt better within myself, art and colour gave me a buzz so I continued to paint and post. Quite quickly I had gained a following plus requests for commissions. I didn’t have the passion in my previous work and painting comes naturally to me and I love it! Have I said that yet? Painting was first and foremost for me, but when people began to ask for commissions it inspired me to continue and to make this my future. It makes me happy to share and spread a little bit (a lot) of colour!
Where do you start when you begin a new project?
"My art is all about colour and how they intertwine with each other".
Many layers add texture to the piece with elements of sparkle. I have no real idea in which way the art will go or look until I have a brief. Then the colours lead the way. I can’t explain what I feel when I see a stroke with a rainbow of colours. I end up taking numerous snaps and these are what I tend to upload onto Instagram. Little squares of bright pigments bursting onto your screen. More recently I love to paint on a black canvas to enhance the colours more. I place the paint (in large amounts) onto the palette and let the art flow!
Where do you find your inspiration for your work?
My main inspiration for my paintings is really about how it can make you feel. I follow similar artists on Instagram, and their paintings sometimes spark ideas on how I want to move forward. I definitely have found my own style over the past year and I do still like to experiment with the paint and the canvas. Sometimes they are scrapped but fortunately acrylic is great to work with whereby you can add many layers. Layer number 5 can make a painting look very different from it's first layer. It’s all about the process and you never know how the finished piece will look. I use my intuition to know a piece is finished.
What is the favourite thing about your job as an artist?
That I am doing something that I love to do. It’s not a job to me and if I ever have a few days away from it, I feel myself dreaming about the next time I can put paint on a canvas!
"I dream about putting a piece of TEG in everyone’s lives whether on their wall or another product".
Can you imagine doing something you love and there are people that like it. That feeling you cannot beat! It’s also highly therapeutic and calming to truly get lost in a painting. Often I don’t know how much time has passed…not always a good thing when you have a family of 5!
Name a person or business that you admire or inspires you?
I have an old friend from when I was a teenager who is living my dream, James Goldcrown. He moved to USA many years ago with not a penny in his pocket and has created a name for himself with his graffiti bleeding heart art. His ‘Lovewalls’ can be found all over the world on street walls, shops etc. He has now transferred this into products and has collaborated with some of the worlds top brands like skechers, Moncler and Ester Lauder. His bleeding hearts paintings is his signature/brand and his branding is on point. James is a good example to take lead from, he came from nothing and can now be recognised instantly by his art. I only hope to be as successful as James and recognised for my brand.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
The best advice given to me, believe or not, came from my husband, Rob. He told me that,
"I have to truly love and believe in my art and myself in order to succeed".
He is right, if I don’t believe in me then why would anyone else?
What is your biggest success story or proudest moment in your career so far?
I think the most memorable one is completing 40 paintings in 10 months in my challenge #40before40. It is what started me on this journey and completing it a couple of days before my birthday was an a amazing feeling! But I also can’t forget the moment of being commissioned for the first time. I hand delivered the painting and the butterflies that I had were a mixture of pure excitement and concern if they didn’t like it! I needn’t have worried as the response was amazing and it spurred me on to do more.
What has been the biggest challenge running your own business and how have you overcome it?
It’s been a tough year for everyone. My mantra is to enrich everyone’s lives with TEG colour and so we have been fortunate to have done so through affordable commissions and also given us the opportunity to create our business proposition for the impending products we will launch.
I can’t profess to be a business expert but with the right people around me plus learning, reading and listening, the TEG business will continue to thrive and I will enhance my own personal challenges as we go forward. It’s exciting.
What would be your dream commission/ project?
I would love to be commissioned for a significant public piece of art, where the colours and vibrancy could make a real impact. However, right now I really want TEG Creations to be a part of peoples everyday lives. I love focusing on sections of my canvases and using those prints to create home furnishings and products that we use daily e.g. glasses, mugs, phone cases, cushions, gym wear/equipment etc. We are currently considering our range with numerous products, which will be marketed through our website and other platforms. My belief is for everyone to have colour in their life and of course, my dream is that it is a piece of TEG! #GeTTeG #livelifeincolour
Instagram: @tegcreations
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GETTEGart/
Email: teg.art@hotmail.com