In conversation with Tullie Meyers
Can you walk us through your creative process? What inspires you to begin a new piece or project, and how does that initial idea evolve as you work?
I have developed a sort of rolodex of subjects to start from. These are often swans, swallows, various other birds, or objects that I find beautiful because of their flourishing lines. I am drawn to placing these subjects on sleek surfaces, bringing together qualities that feel early modernist, surreal, and intuitive. To me, this feels like a perfect combination.
Your work places a strong emphasis on the physicality of painting. How do oil, color, texture, and surface influence the way you develop an image and communicate meaning? How does the act of painting itself shape where the work ultimately goes?
There has always been something in me that drives my hands to create lines. I feel joy in marking one single line on a page and find beauty in that. I feel the same way about texture. I don't think it takes much to create a compelling piece of art; sometimes, all you need is a compelling texture.
I often discover what I am referencing only after a piece has been created. I allow the work to develop as I make it, following whatever feels satisfying to my hands. The physical act of making is what guides the piece, and I am open to whatever meaning might emerge from it.
How do you hope viewers connect with the themes and ideas explored through your work?
I hope viewers feel a sense of satisfaction when they look at my work. I want the pieces to feel as though they simply make sense existing as they are, maybe without needing a real explanation. I am open to the different interpretations people bring to them
Are there specific artists or influences that have shaped the way you approach painting and making? Who are they?
I am inspired by artists who seem to have a natural magnetic pull toward beauty and feel they have no choice other than to create. Pierre Alechinsky, a Belgian artist associated with gestural abstract expressionism, has inspired my exploration of abstraction. Toba Khedoori is another artist whose use of color and composition I find particularly attractive. There are many artists whose approaches to making continue to excite me, especially those who seem to have an instinctive relationship with their work.