Artist Name: Tic Ikram
Born: July 24,1982
Live: Los Angeles, California, USA
Website url: http://tic.gallery
Instagram: @tic.artist
Facebook: @tic.artist
Tic Ikram in Tokyo, Japan
Artist Biography
Born in 1982 in Salinas, California, Tammy Ikram (known as TIC) lived more in the imaginary than reality. Attending over thirteen different schools in three states before her Sacramento based high school graduation, she took advantage of new environments to reinvent her persona. TIC graduated in 2007 with honors from San Diego State University with a major in political science. While studying for the LSATs in 2007 with the intention of pursuing a career in law, a deep sense of imbalance with that field shifted her focus back on her deepest passion, art. TIC launched herself fully into creating beauty in the world believing what the world needed more than anything was hope, love, and imagination.
TIC has maintained a studio in the broader Los Angeles area since 2013. TIC has also taught private drawing classes in both Orange County and London, England. Tic has exhibited in Hollywood, San Diego, Orange County, and Beverly Hills, and has upcoming exhibitions in the The Oculus at World Trade Center in New York and Tokyo, Japan. She will also have her paintings heavily featured on Season two of Selling Sunset on Netflix. She currently lives in greater Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
YARA // Floralscape I / 2019 / Oil on cotton / 40 in x 60 in (101.6 cm x 152.4 cm)
Artist Statement
My paintings explore space, movement, and the ideals femininity. The fantasy of escaping from the mundane into a world filled with vibrant colors and verdant gardens of elegance captures my imagination.The sense of freedom I feel in that space directly feeds the emotional energy of my paintings. I use floral structures as my compositional framework in order to take the viewer into a state of wonder, beauty, and seduction.
Hard Candy // Floralscape II / 2019 / Oil on linen
24 in x 30 in (60.96 cm x 76.2 cm)
How do you deal with artist's block?
Keep working. I consider myself a chain artist, I always try to keep a flow of ideas. I’ve amassed a collection of thousands of images in several digital mood boards in case I ever feel stuck or uninspired.
Can you tell us what you have going on right now?
I’m currently finishing a tightly layered floral painting with a gorgeous gradient change throughout, and I’m planning a large modern piece with grays, blues, and a burst of titanium white, my interpretation of masculine floral.
Best exhibition ever participated in…?
Entering my exhibition in the Oculus building at the World Trade Center was so special to me. Just the historical significance and beauty that now envelops that space moved me.
Cotton Candy // Floralscape IV / 2019 / Oil on linen / 18 in x 24 in (45.72 cm x 60.96 cm)
Would love to exhibit my work in...
Tokyo! I’m so drawn to the beauty and culture that encompasses it. The last time I visited, I remember walking down the street dressed like a ninja with two katanas down my back. I was then stopped by the local police. At first I thought he was going to tell me I couldn’t brand weapons like that in public, but instead he smiled and laughed with me. There was no judgement or fear of cultural appropriation, just pure humor and interest. That is my forever mood, and the vibe I want my collections to present.
Tic Ikram creating Chrysaora Fuscescens // Floralscape VIII / 2019 in studio.
One thing no one knows about you, but defines you a lot?
I love movies, like really really love movies! I go to the movie theatre almost weekly. I love getting lost in someone else’s creative world.
What does your work aim to say?
I think the core of my art is to make people happy. I think the world has enough hurt and pessimism that I want my contribution to be one of love and inspiration.
What’s your background?
Before transitioning into a full time fine artist I worked as an interior designer and space planner. I also designed wireframes for websites and mobile applications. I think both of those experiences have influenced my current collections.
What’s integral to the work of an artist?
Honesty and vulnerability. About yourself, your desires, your preferences. Sometimes it’s hard to hear your own inner artistic voice and it takes years of experimenting and failures before you can hear it, but once you start listening, go all in.
How has your practice changed over time?
When I was a kid I used to mindlessly doodle all over my notebooks. When I decided I wanted to become an artist, I became more intentional about my designs, and worked towards mastery of different techniques. Now I’m coming full circle and I want to take those skills and apply them to creating completely unique, whimsical pieces, akin to those I created from childhood.
Luminyara // MysTic No. 01 / 2019 / Oil on linen board / 18 in x 24 in (45.72 cm x 60.96 cm)
Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?
Once walking through an airport I was stopped dead in my tracks by the typography on the cover of a magazine. I just kept staring at it. The perfect line weight, the elegant flourishes, and the color story throughout. I bought the magazine and even found the font family. I eventually drew a butterfly that I felt could be an extension of that design, and built an entire painting around it. (Luminyara, 2020).