In a few sentences tell us about yourself:
My name is Tylluan and I am of Gaelic heritage. I’m very lucky to have found myself a home here in Wolfville. It is a beautiful place and I am very inspired by the gorgeous scenery and the vibrant artistic community. I use art as therapy, to brighten up my day and keep myself in a positive state of mind. I have a disability which is challenging and it prevents me from doing a lot of things but art I can do and so I indulge in it to my heart’s content.
What is your artistic medium? how did you come to this style?
I’ve always been creative and experimental. One day I was making background scenery for a puppet theatre and I was using everything I had lying around, old drawings, things cut out from old magazines—of course now I know it’s actually an art form called collage. I soon enjoyed making the collages more than puppets and so that’s how it all began. I love bright colours and cheerful scenes, nature, and the ocean. I amuse myself and I hope in the process other folk might smile when they look at one of my pieces. I love kids and you can tell from my art that I view the world with a childish wonderment—something I’m glad I never lost when I grew up.
Where do you work and where can we find your work?
I work at home but my ambition is to have my own studio and invite others to join me in having fun with creativity: my own makery! In the meantime, the Wolfville library is the only place you’ll see it.
At what point did you describe yourself as an artist? at what time of day do you work on your art?
I don’t really call myself an artist. I would say I am a creative person who goofs around and has fun and hopes that the end result turns out alright. If I call myself an artist, I am now expected to sell my work, making art with selling it in mind and then there it goes out the window, all the freedom and fun I enjoy in the creative process. Pressure like that is counterproductive I find. I work on creative things any time of day depending on my level of enthusiasm. I believe that if you love doing something and its good for you then you should give yourself permission to do it every day!
Why art? Why your art?
Art allows me to express my appreciation of this beautiful world. My style reflects my personality—I don’t take myself too seriously, where’s the fun in that?
Works by Tylluan O’Sinend are on display at the Wolfville Memorial Library, 21 Elm Avenue, throughout January and February