Tanya Poole
Photography by Rooted Tapestry Co
Tanya Poole is an African American artist known for her bright and colorful, acrylics and clay masks. Previously a business owner of Bougie Boutique in Columbus Georgia. Tanya decided to venture out with several business opportunities that afforded her to tap into her gift as an artist. “I never thought, I would paint or sculpt because I felt those medias were not my strong suits. I’ve always been really good with graphite and pastels since High School.” Tanya describes herself as a business woman but an artist in her soul. “I remember working different jobs like merchandising, managing other stores, and owning my own business. Even though those were some great times, I never felt an energetic pull doing those jobs as I do with art. Life events of going through hard times of unemployment and a divorce with three children, put me in a bad head space.” Tanya suffers from depression and anxiety. One of her ways to get through dark times is tapping into her art. “I use bright colors because, it sends happy thoughts to the brain. I also love portraying my ethnicity in my work because we are very beautiful and colorful people.” Tanya draws her inspiration from fashion and other cultures. “
What was the pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as an artist? My pivotal moment would have to be the onset of the pandemic. It was my way of trying to find positive in such a dark time. I also noticed the need to redecorate, so I started creating pieces to display in my home.
How long have you been creating artwork? I’ve been creating artwork since I was a teen. I remember being on restriction by my parents for my grades. I had nothing to do, so I started sketching from a poster of Madonna I had on my wall. That’s when my creativity continued to expand in several outlets.
Can you tell us about the process of making your artwork? The process starts with a color I may see in nature or a hairdo that inspires me. From there I sketch out my work on canvas and the colors start flowing. If I feel the need to do more intensive work with my hands, I start sculpting as a way of releasing stress.
Your work is very vibrant, what role does color play in your work? I feel bright colors is a way of expressing happiness. For example: I know I feel more energetic during Spring/Summer than in Winter, so I use that feeling to show in my work.
What story(s) are you telling with your work? I’m telling the story of beauty and culture.
How has your life experiences influenced your visual story telling? As a person who had some struggles with society’s take on beauty. I’ve embraced being comfortable and loving who I am as a woman of color. I love the structure of our features, hair textures and styles, I’m able to portray that in my art. In some of my work, the eyes show sadness, strength, and love of who we are as a people. I can see myself staring back at me in my art.
What piece of your artwork would you like to be remembered for? I would like to be remembered for my masks, they represent the 5D version of my paintings.
What inspires you? Music, culture, fashion, other artists, and nature are my biggest inspirations.
Which artist of the past would you most like to meet? Van Gogh. I can see the brilliance yet the insanity in his work. I love the imperfection of his work and the perfection in how he portrayed on canvas what he saw.
What is your daily routine when working? It is all about the mood I’m in when I get up. I’m constantly in motion because I work on projects in my home, like sew, and gardening with my daughter. I like to exercise, eat, and just go with the flow for the day. I like to kick off with some music to get me going.
How many kids do you have, and how do you find the time to be an artist? I have three children, Darian 19, Jasmine 16, and Marques 15. It was a little harder when they were younger to find the time to work on my art. I always include them in what I do and push them to be creative, now I have artists on my hand. Darian is going to attend college locally for one year, then transfer to SCAD. Jasmine is going to college in 2022 for Business. Marques wants to be an animator.
Where can we see more of your work? My work can be found on my IG @chickchaos, TikTok @chickchaos, and my website is a work in progress, that will be up and running in the near future chickchaos.com
What advice would you give to moms discovering their artistic side? Those looking to follow in your steps? Go for it! Make time for things you love. That is how I keep the balance in my life. You can’t forget about your dreams or put them on the back-burner. Make the time to pursue your dreams. One of my favorite quotes is by Confucius, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”.
Rooted Tapestry Co. www.rootedtapestryco.com