Artist Profile--Tammy Vail

For our last artist profile, we are featuring Tammy Vail. Tammy is one of those sparkling characters who always has the whole room laughing. Her playfulness carries over into her artwork with pieces that are lively, colorful and always very creative.

1. What are the main mediums you use? What do you find satisfying about them?

The mediums I use are anything I can get my hands on. Of course the paints, pencils, and all the wonderful things offered in the stores. As they say, I have spent more money saving 40 percent at Michaels than any other place! I also turn to nature, I dry flowers, seeds, peach skins, leaves and whatever looks fun. I carve on avocado seeds, I string seeds, I include sticks in some collages.

Tammy's found object wall gate:

2. If someone were going to get started in those mediums, what suggestions would you give?

If someone were going to get started in the art adventure, I would advise them to pick up a crayon with their tiny little hand and scribble up the phone book before Mom could stop you. Each day of your life, do something, even if it is a little picture of a bird. Advance throughout your life, trying everything that comes to you. Search out the rest. Take classes, place yourself around other artists, and look for the beauty and wonder in every object you see.

3. A perfect art day would look like_________

a cool sunny day in a beautiful retreat room full of my wonderful friends, and totally trashed tables full of paints, papers, and tons of pieces of stuff.

I would be there for most the time, but go to my own room to create some things alone in the quiet.

Bracelet made from paper beads:

4. Do you have dedicated studio space?

I have a wonderful studio in the bedroom our girls deserted after college in their search for fame, money, and a guy that looks like a Calvin Kline underwear model and has a PHD in tenderness. My studio is light and airy, with windows on one wall, and lots of room. It is my sanctuary.

5. Favorite place you've visited or lived?

I love the forest, especially in a beautiful lodge by a big noisy river. I love the peace of the country in the fall, with fields of spent pumpkins and a convention of crows there to help clean it up. I love the city, with shops full of things I can buy, or look at joyously. I enjoy everywhere when I feel good, and hey, even if I don't!

A fabric book:

6. What inspires you?

Life inspires me, Nature inspires me, my wonderful friends inspire me, the wonder of all things on this earth, the ocean, the sky, storms, blue birds, a tornado that tears up the earth, but doesn't hurt any one inspires me. Guess I'm kinda easy in that area!

7. I still struggle with_____

I still struggle with the fact that I just can not understand written instructions, or math well. Hey, I just don't get it. I need to see things. I can figure out and do most anything by looking and making the directions myself.

A recycled, hand-painted chair:

8. I'd be lost without__________

my glasses.

9. Favorite dessert?

hey let's list the ones I don't like, the list would be shorter. The best of course a hot fudge sunday with chopped almonds, lots of fudge on the bottom and the top

of the dish is required. I even love it when the last little bit melts and runs together and I can scrape it out of the bowl with my spoon and break the etiquette barrior.

One of Tammy's mixed media books:

10. What's on the horizon?

everything of course.

That concludes our series of artist profiles. You can see all of them in the tab up at the top of the blog. After the first of the year, we will begin a series of studio visits to show you where our members create.