Interview: Taryn Gee

Good day! How are things going?

Hello! The summer is long and hot. I can't wait till school starts again and to stop working with food.

How did you develop your interest in the figure as a form of artistic expression?

I suppose it's an interest I've always had. I enjoy how people show their emotions or try to hide them. I think the personalities of my friends really inspire me to see people in a different light. Actually, when I used to be a waiter, I was a people watcher. There was such an array of characters that would come in to eat; I suppose my interest in people relates to my interest in the figure.

What inspires your work?

The concept of religion really inspires me. I also like taking simple things and making them more beautiful and appealing. I have a thing for typography and I try to incorporate it into some pieces. As for history, I find that Art Nouveau inspires me design-wise and in their depiction of the human form.

How would you describe your style?

I think that my style is mainly figurative and full of emotion. I like to exaggerate body parts, particularly the neck, and depict some form of inner peace within my figures. I suppose my palette has become more vibrant, perhaps because I can't be bothered to mix my colours; on the other hand, I find that there's something thrilling about vibrant, bold colours. I also think that self portraits are one of the hardest things to master, so I like to do a lot of self portraits. Because of that, I guess that my figures resemble me.

What medium do you prefer to work in?

I love working traditionally, preferably in pencil, ink or watercolours. I find that usually I don't have the patience to sit in front of the computer to do digital work. I find that when you work traditionally, it's more of an organic, expressive experience, while digital media is more of a structured approach.

What do you consider your major influences to be?

When I started college I had never done any life drawing before and I found that drawing the nude figure really changed the way approached my work. My teacher, Stan Hughes taught me many different ways of seeing and depicting a figure and I've learned a lot of different techniques during my first year at Sheridan College. I also find that my boyfriend Jordan is a constant inspiration to my work.

What's in the future for you?

One day I hope to get a book published but for the time being, I want to focus on portraiture and caricature. I'd really like to be able to capture people's emotions and personalities based on a simple portrait.

Thanks for chatting with us!

For more of Taryn's work check out her Carbonmade portfolio: http://geetaryn.carbonmade.com/