Tiffany Bozic
From the time Bozic was a child growing up in the Ozark Mountains, she has been aware of the energy and flow of the natural world. Witnessing this rhythm in a direct and visceral way, she discovered a beautiful simplicity in all of nature's intricacies. Her attempt to understand these complexities drives her artistic vision and allows her to use painting as a means to make sense of the world. After spending the rest of her childhood in Cleveland, she then dropped out of art school and move out to the West Coast, swiftly pursuing her life as a full-time working artist. She now lives and works in Oakland, California.
Can you explain the common theme in your paintings and sketches with the juxtaposition of nature and trauma?
Most of the paintings that I have made up until now are about struggle and triumph evident in all living things. The ancient game of survival.
You've lived in a few different regions of the country. Where do you feel most at home?
I have been fortunate to travel a lot and I have found my sense of home to be wherever I am standing at the time. My own skin. But in some ways my sense of home also resides in the people I care most about.
Pursuing life as a working artist must have been a difficult decision. Why have you taken that path rather than opting to be a commercial artist?
Actually it wasn't a difficult decision to make at all, because there is just no other way I can be. My mom told me this story once that when I was four; I told her I was going to be an artist one day. She told me I already was, and so it just clicked. I have done commercial work in the past, even though I don't take to orders very well, to tie me over so I can paint without the need to sell. This affords me a certain kind of freedom that I need to express these ideas. Everyone has to find his or her own balance.
Why did you choose to forgo design school?
I left for many reasons. Since I was paying for my own way through school, I figured I would rather get paid to fumble through it on my own gaining real life experience‚ over paying a vast amount of money to eventually regurgitate what my professors had ingrained in me. If I had my parents support or something I might have stayed in though, because without the stress of having to make ends meet I might have enjoyed the time to develop my skills, but then again I wouldn't be where I am at now. As it turned out I moved to the most expensive city in the country at the time because it was here that I found the energy to build my foundation. It was difficult but worth it because I learned how to survive. Most art schools are in the business of making money off tuition; they don't teach you how to protect yourself and handle the business side as much as they should. You can figure out how to express yourself and paint through trial and error. But fortunately we are living in the age of information so you don‚'t have to sign up for a business class; the library and internet have piles of information to check out. Take the twenty dollars in your pocket and run out and buy the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook, Pricing and Ethical Guidelines.
What is your message in "Key"?
At the time that I made "Key" I had moved back to Ohio from S.F. to focus on a show. I worked for about 7-8 months in a small bedroom at the back of my father's house. It was a very intense time because all I did was paint. Everyday these little jeweled angels would fly up to my window while I was working and they reminded me how precious it is to be alive. And so to relate to them, I exaggerated the proportions and dulled it down and placed a key around its neck. Which stood for a "time out" when you have to check yourself and reawaken to the moment. It was very human of me to have blown it out of proportion, stripping it of its vibrating colors. Hummingbirds flutter around seeking nectar in the sun all day, their heart beating over a thousand times per minute, while I am pushing a brush around like a sloth in a cave. I wanted so badly to trade places for a moment.
Ralph Waldo Emerson seems to have an impact on your work. What is it about his written word that speaks to you?
That reminds me I haven't updated my site in a very long time. Emerson is a great writer. His words meant a lot to me at one stage of growth. So at the time I put a quote of his up on my site I was reading and rereading from nature, "self awareness." I just love this passage. There are so many independent people that I appreciate though; he is just one of them.
As an Eden Advocate, your influence will be felt by many young women. What wisdom would you like to pass on to a new generation?
I have always strived to be all of the changes I seek to find in this world. I came from nothing, just another girl from the mid-west with empty pockets and a dream. You can do whatever you want with your life if you have the heart and determination. You don't have to play dress up, wear make-up to be pretty, or bat your eyelashes for anyone. Do what you love, work as hard as you can, and remain humble and honest. remember "apples and oranges" so be as supportive and generous as you can to your peers. March to your own rhythm - it is your time.
