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Frequently Asked Questions
Tamara English
What
kind of artwork do you do?
My main medium is oil paint on canvas, often using a lot of cold wax medium. I tend
to work with a lot of texture. I have been working a great deal with Persian carpet and tapestry designs, as well as
Islamic tile designs. Lately I have been exploring the imagery of Mexican Talavera ceramic ware, the work of William
Morris, and illuminated manuscripts from a variety of cultures as sources for new paintings. I also work with acrylic
paints, graphite, and ink.
Have you always known you were an artist?
Mostly Yes. My grandmother
says I was always drawing as a child. I was pretty much always drawing in my elementary school classes. I have
always loved art and been inspired by the natural world. I knew as a child I wanted art to be big part of my life.
I studied art throughout my schooling including college, often studying crafts such as ceramics, fabric painting, and jewelry
design. After college I basically stopped making art for a long time- over ten years. Luckily, I found my way
back to my love of art and began to pursue a career in the fine arts. I went back to school and got a BFA, and have
been painting full time for over six years. Incidentally, it was those years of not doing art that inspired me to want
to work with individuals and groups as a creative guide.
What is a creative guide?
A creative guide
is someone who supports individuals and groups in opening to and exploring their creativity, in the process of doing art and
also in the process of how we live our lives The focus of a creative guide is to unlock those doors inside us
to embrace our inherent creativity and the potential within each and every one of us. A creative guide works from the
belief that we are all creative beings, and have a longing to engage with this creativity in some way. We can express
this creativity in an infinite number of ways. Thus it can be guidance for creating art, and also guidance for living
one’s life as art.
Why are there two areas of focus for your studio?
As I said before, there were
quite a few years in my life that I avoided the call within me to be an artist. I remember how it felt when I wasn’t
doing art- disconcerting, and often much worse than that. There was always a sense of missing something, of things in
my life not quite being right. As I stepped into action with my art, there were enormous challenges, yet also a great
joy in that I was answering a true call of my heart. In sharing with people about my vocation as an artist, I kept hearing
the same thing. People really wishing they were somehow engaged in creative endeavors, yet not really taking steps to
do these endeavors. I decided to offer a solution to this gap, a way to support people in acting on these wishes.
The process of art has such amazing power in it, in that it both asks us to challenge ourselves and take risks and also is
soothing and centering. In doing art we can enhance all other areas of our lives.
The work I do in my studio pushes
me to always explore and express myself and the experience of being a human being. It is amazing to create new pieces
and know they have somewhere to go in the world, a place they are meant to be. And it is a great combination, to do
my work in the studio, and then meet with a client or teach a class, and be with someone else’s process. It’s
like I get to give in these different ways to the community.
Why is it important to create art?
First
of all, it is important to me to honor all the ways we create. As a visual artist, I create paintings and drawings,
and occasionally sculpture. However, the arts to me also include the art of cooking, the art of gardening, the art of
conversation, the art of good parenting, the art of making the best decisions for our lives and our planet. So art in
the broadest sense is the art of living an engaging joyful rich wonderful life- finding and doing what you love. Creativity
becomes the vehicle to create this kind of artful life, and create a better world. It is a natural longing of the deepest
essence of ourselves to create. So I also see creative endeavors as a way to address the deepest part of ourselves,
what we may call spiritual practice. Creative process then is really a way to know both our inner and outer world more
intimately, and live more in choice according to the call of our essential selves.
What happens in your sessions?
Talk about a creative process. My intention is to address the needs of each client according to their own intention.
So often a session will be a blend of coaching, sharing technical aspects of art, experiential exercises such as simple and
fun art practices, breath work, and working with a field language that gently and permanently shifts self-limiting patterns
that are deeply ingrained within each of us, often passed down through generations in our families.
What
is your background in art?
My BFA is from Pacific Northwest College of Art. My focus while I was there was
life drawing,, narrative art, and working with the idea of the Book of Hours in a visual format. Much of my art experience
has been in crafts such as ceramics, jewelry making, and fabric painting. In the area of ceramics have worked with sculpture,
hand-built vessels and wheel throwing. I ran a jewelry design business for six years. I have also studied art
photography and photojournalism, and music video production. While I was studying video production I worked with local
Northwest and nationally known musicians including Nirvana and Karhleen Hanna of Bikini Kill.
What is your background
in working with individuals and groups?
My first bachelor’s degree focused on psychology with an emphasis
on art therapy. I have worked with at-risk teens in a group home setting. I am trained as a Licensed Massage Therapist,
and ran my own practice for seven years addressing chronic health issues such as TMJ problems and fibromyalgia. My primary
modality as a body worker has been Cranial-Sacral Therapy. I have been working with field technology for five years
as taught by The Way of The Heart, an organization committed to individual and collective Life Purpose, consciousness, and
planetary peace. As a facilitator trained through the courses offered by The Way of The Heart my goal is to support
individuals in expressing the highest vision for their lives, in work, relationships, community, and personal exploration.
Where do you see the studio going in the future?
There will always be new avenues to explore in the art
I create. It is an ongoing ever- evolving dialogue. I will continue to show my work at a variety of venues, and
in the online gallery. Commissions are always exciting to do because I get to design for a specific place and business
or home, so I will continue to offer them ongoingly.
A book is presently in the beginning stages.
There will
be more classes being offered, including art as spiritual practice or greater divine self-awareness, and using artful expression
to address running one’s own business. Stay tuned.
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