Interview with Tiara Unique Francois

September 11, 2020

Interview with Tiara Unique Francois

Tiara Unique Francois

The first of many interviews connecting with artists, students, and creatives to engage in open and honest conversation about art and life; what we see, think and do and what others like you, see think and do. 

Click here to watch the Youtube Premiere Interview

Bio:

I am a young painter from Dallas, TX. Drawing and sketching every day as a child, I feel now that it was written for me to become an artist. I started my painting career at Mountain View College, and I am now earning my BFA in painting attending University of Texas at Arlington.

What does the Cliff Gallery mean to you?

I really appreciate what Cliff Gallery has provided for me, being an extremely accessible gallery space. Before this the only art space I really went to was the Dallas Museum of Art, so to have somewhere familiar (the center of the college campus) as a place I could experience art talks and artist receptions, I feel that it really broadened my art horizons. Having the opportunity to contribute to hanging art for the exhibitions through work study was also very valuable, opening my eyes in the way of, “Wow, I could do this professionally, this can be a career choice.”

How has your work evolved since being at Cliff Gallery?

I believe I'm more conscious about decisions I make with my art, I feel I used the technical things I learned from Mountain View and I can apply them more thoughtfully now. Color choice, mark making, even the size of your canvas come on all can say something individually, since being at Mountain View, I'd like to think I have a better handle on some of these artistic choices. Since being at Cliff Gallery, seeing everything that goes into setting up an exhibition, it gave me a new appreciation for it. When I have a solo show, I'm definitely using things I learned there for myself, like how fragrance can create a totally different feeling than you would think for art.

What advice would you give yourself back then as a Community College student?

I would tell myself it's OK to not limit yourself or your art to one thing period. You're still learning the basics, so you don't have to know exactly what you're creating, just create. Don't try to make something that you think *looks* like art, just make things and what sticks will stick naturally and what won't, won't. Don't force the need to know everything right now, because you don't, but that's OK, just keep asking questions and stay open to the answers you receive.

"It's OK to not limit yourself or your art to one thing period. You're still learning the basics, so you don't have to know exactly what you're creating, just create."

What are you currently working on? (It can be art related or not ).

I'm working on... thinking about art, more specifically thinking about my art practice. I’m asking myself, Why am I making art? Who am I making it for? What does making art mean in this era of the world and how my contributions add to that? I'm having a bit of an art block, and for a lot of artists that's a source of frustration but lately I've been looking at it as an indicator that it's time for me to learn or try something new. Art block means that the past solutions that you've used for your art are no longer working, so push past it, you have to find new ways to attack your concepts or artistic ideas.

"Art block means that the past solutions that you've used for your art are no longer working, so push past it, you have to find new ways to attack your concepts or artistic ideas."

Who are your current artistic influences?

An artist that I'm thinking about is Kareem Anthony Ferreira. I'm really interested in how they break the picture plane. Thinking about painting and breaking the traditional format of it, I feel like it asked the question of what really is painting? I also look at the work of Jonathan Lyndon Chase. I started to incorporate more drawing elements in my work after seeing how efficiently he used his mark making. I think it's important to take inspiration and make it your own. If you take a little from a lot of different places, you've made something that's tailored to you.