Artist Tasya van Ree reveals the inspiration for 4 of her favorite pieces
“I think people should be in conversation a little more—with each other, with yourself, film, music, art,” says artist Tasya van Ree in a video for Oliver Peoples's "in conversation series." Well, anyone who has had the pleasure to be in conversation with van Ree would understand that what informs her art also informs her life. The half Japanese, half Dutch Hawaii native is all about staying connected to her self and her surroundings and, throughout her jaunts into filmmaking, apparel design, fine art and photography, strives to capture a spirit of stillness and simplicity in her work. It's this natural California cool that's made her a prominent figure in the West Coast art scene since 1994. In the same video, we also get a glimpse of her credo in action as van Ree is filmed in the quiet nook of Laurel Canyon that she calls home. With windows framing the mountains in every room, small crystal shrines in corners and clean minimalist surfaces, it makes sense that this is the place she chooses to create her art.
Breaking down four of her most significant pieces, the artist talks to L’Officiel USA about her creative process, the inspiration behind the work and the message she is trying to communicate—revealing yet another side of what makes this mysterious, wide brimmed hat-wearing artist tick.
THE DESERT AND ITS EYELASHES
What were you thinking about as you created it?
TVR: I was thinking about the terrestrial realm of existence and all of its fractions of superiority. How nature separates itself through myth and phenomenon, and how we interpret it to make sense of our time here.
Where did the inspiration come from?
TVR: Joshua Tree.
What does the piece mean to you?
TVR: There is a sole purpose in the human design. Discovering the supernatural consciousness in all fibers of the heart and soul. Bypassing all anatomical logic and understanding the dominance of spirit over flesh. This is the evolutionary landscape of life in its most pure and transmutational form.
THE DESERT AND ITS EYELASHES 15 inches x 20 inches (38 cm x 51 cm) Graphite/colored pencil/acrylic on illustration board
IMMORTAL CLOUD
What were you thinking about as you created it?
TVR: How we are all made of stardust.
Where did the inspiration come from?
TVR: Outer-space
What does the piece mean to you?
TVR: We can sometimes be a projection or a hallucination of ourselves. Focusing so much on our mortality and our compressed thoughts of what we think matters. Losing ourselves in the conversations of obsessions and the apostrophes that present itself as ownership of the material world. This piece reminds me that this energy is bigger than the sun, larger than the moon. It is miraculous and infinite.
IMMORTAL CLOUD 15 inches x 20 inches (38 cm x 51 cm) Graphite/colored pencil/acrylic on illustration board
MY MONSTER
What were you thinking about as you created it?
TVR: I was thinking of artists as creators.
Where did the inspiration come from?
TVR: I found an anatomy book in an antique store and was inspired by the illustrations in it.
What does the piece mean to you?
TVR: It’s a charming rendition of the human body. How in another dimension we could easily look like this; deconstructed, frenzied, and uncertain. Locked into the architectural infancy of perspective. But still so happy, because an artist created you.
MY MONSTER 14 inches x 20 inches (36 cm x 51 cm) Colored pencil/acrylic/oil pastel (collage) on illustration board from the series ELEMENTS OF ANATOMY
SECRETS
What were you thinking about as you created it?
TVR: What the atmosphere of love feels and looks like when there is a language that has been put in place between the both of you. A language which you’ve never spoken before, and neither has she.
Where did the inspiration come from?
TVR: A woman.
What does the piece mean to you?
TVR: Sometimes there needs to be secrets. There needs to be a space that is created between you and something you love, so that no one else can interfere with the power that this world contains. It is so delicate, sacred and electric. Created so intricately and meticulously, a space for only two queens to fit, to enjoy.
SECRETS 16 inches x 20 inches (41 cm x 51 cm) Graphite/colored pencil/acrylic on illustration board
