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Interview: Trish DeMers August 22, 2005
1. How long have you been a resident in Siskiyou County?
We moved to Siskiyou County in 1987 then we went away for a few years and moved back in 1991.
What brought you here?
My husbands work brought me here.
2. Can you give a short explanation of your specialty or your artistic medium?
I work as a Tangka painter, which is traditional Tibetan religious painting. I do all of my work according to specific proportions laid out traditionally, centuries old. I have trained in making my own paint with glue and mineral pigments and I have trained in all of the traditional methods of making the Tibetan canvases which are meant to be rolled up for storage. It is very different from Western traditional painting.
3. How long have you been making art (professionally and unprofessionally)?
I started making art when I was a child. My mother was a painter and a sculptor. The first thing that I did professionally was ceramics. I started doing that in 1992 and did that until my children were older and took more of my time. Right now the Thangka painting is more meaningful to me than any other form of art. I have been fortunate to use my experience with the Tibetan themes to gain some freelance commercial work to supplement my income.
4. Is art your full time career?
No. My full time career is being a mom but it is my only source of income. I also do gold leafing which is a very niche skill because it is very technical. I tend to gravitate to things like that.
5. How have you learned your art? Have you had any formal art education? If so, where, when and for how long?
The Tangka painting did start off with gold leafing. I was at Toshi Choyling and there was an artist there who was repairing statues and painting. I was so impressed. I absolutely didn't want to be a painter but I knew he was a sculptor too and I really wanted to get to know this artist. At one point he was gold leafing and I asked if I could help. The next project he did was sculpture but he was sculpting in concrete which, to my surprise is totally different than clay. At the time my children were with me everywhere I went and it was difficult for him to teach me sculpture so he suggested that I paint. That is how I started painting. Immediately he felt that I would be a student he would want to spend his energy training. I trained with him for six or seven years. Traditionally, the training takes nine years for Tangka painters.
6. Have you had any special mentors that have influenced you and your style?My teacher's name is Lama Sonam Tsering. He is unique in that he is proficient in sculpture and painting. He is younger then I am which is unique for a teacher and student relationship but to me he is very much more mature and older in his qualities. As far as influences, I would say that his color palette is very particular to him. He uses very mellow colors whereas some painters use more bold coloring.
7. Can you talk a little about your experience as an artist in Siskiyou County? (In other words, what is unique about being an artist in this area?) (Pros and Cons) (economic, cultural, physical/geographic)
There is a lot of spirituality in Siskiyou County but the esoteric stuff isn't that popular here. It isn't a huge market place for me but it is a beautiful place to live. Because I live here I don't have to work out of my home. I can stay and home school my kids and live off of one family income. It wouldn't be like that in the city. That is what it really offers me.
8. Do you feel like living in Siskiyou County has influenced your art? What aspects have you drawn inspiration from?
The people I have met here who are involved in Dharma motivate me to do what I do.
9. If you had to describe your style in a few words how would you do this? First 5 words that come to mind?…
Spaciousness. I don't like to clutter things up. So spacious and rich. I like to put rich tones into my paintings. Other than that it is about Buddhist connections that one might have with the painting. It is not easy to express.
10. What is it about making art and the creative process that you find most interesting or are most passionate about?
It blows my mind. When I paint something and I look at it later I just can't believe I painted that. I just find it very satisfying to look at something beautiful and realize that I did that.
11. Do you teach art in anyway or are you interested in being a teacher?
I teach home school kids. We did pointillism and talked about perspective. I do teach but it is a little more informal.