Meet Adrianne Tamar Arachne

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrianne Tamar Arachne.

Adrianne Tamar, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My journey as a visionary artist has been a long and winding one. As the story tends to go, I have known I was an artist from the time I was a small girl. My mom kept paints and art supplies around to nurture creativity, and I was always trying to create the magic I felt so vibrantly in my own inner world.

In high school, on our family computer that was only just hooked up the burgeoning new world of the internet (dial-up noises and all), I found myself stumbling upon the world of concept art. Wide-eyed and inspired by the concept artists who contributed to creating the world designs for Star Wars, Harry Potter, and other fantasy/sci-fi epics. I was filled with a surging desire to become a concept artist myself and to be one of the imaginative forces behind these iconic concepts.

Later on in my early twenties, in pursuit of this vision, I formally studied illustration at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco from ’09 – ’11. I honed and refined my technical skills as an artist, and pursued what I thought had been my life-long dream as a concept artist for the film industry. I worked very hard and impressed many of my teachers. But unfortunately, the challenges of reality put a damper on my plans to complete my education. With rising prices of education and living expenses in San Francisco, the doors closed on the furthering of my education. And about half-way through my degree, I dropped out of the Academy.

With the one comforting fact being that I’d acquired a studio contact at Lucas Arts, I made a Hail Mary attempt at acquiring the studio concept art job I’d thought I’d always wanted. I remember being on the phone with the rep.. and.. in a defining moment of my life, she asked me, “So, what do you want to do here?” And, in an instant epiphany that shook me to my core… I realized… “Not this.”

“Not this.”

Wow. I was shocked with myself. How could I suddenly be opting out of what I’d thought had been a life-long dream?

I didn’t know. But all I knew was that when it came down to it, I couldn’t see myself in a cramped studio office, working late into the evening over yet another robot or a spaceship or an alien creature that was gonna be chewed up and spit out by the ever-consuming machine of the entertainment industry… and thriving.

Tucking my tail between my legs and retreating from my dream, I defaulted to massage therapy work (something I’d been certified for since I was 18) for about year, and my art production fell to a trickle. I was depressed. I didn’t know who I was anymore, and wasn’t sure where I was going.

But life has an interesting way of awakening forces within us that drive us towards a deepening of being, courage, and authenticity.

Around the end of 2013… my life took a surprising turn.

I received a random invitation to a shamanic medicine ceremony in Berkeley… and even though this was something obscure that fell totally outside of my realm of experience at this time, I actually said yes.

And this ceremony completely changed my life. I had a spiritual awakening that rippled out into my entire being and awoke within me a latent connection to the magical and shamanic realms. That spiritual connection rippled through my entire perception of everything: including how I perceived my creativity, and it’s a purpose. I awoke to a deeper meaning around art and realized that the reason I didn’t want to create industry art is that I wanted to do something deeper. Something sacred.

This put me on the path to what I’d really been looking for the whole time. Which is storytelling with spiritual purpose.

It was then that I left my “secure” job in San Francisco as a full-time massage therapist, packed my bags, and embarked on a soul journey to Colorado, called forth by the light of earth magic deep in my bones. And, over the next two years, It was there that my art was reborn into so much more than just images: it became a magical practice of making “medicine” – pieces that bare a magical healing effect simply by being in their presence.

I realized that I needed to make art that had heart, meaning, and sacredness in it. Not just a tool for the ever-grinding machine of the film industry to chew up and spit out. And it was here that I found the convergence of all the skills I’d so devotedly developed in art school, with the growth of my personal sense of magic, meaning, and spirituality.

It’s taken a ton of courage to walk this path and to stay true to the type of work that I want to create. But, I’m happy to say that I am now a successful artist and illustrator in the Denver area. I attract clients who purchase my art for the meaning it invokes in their spirit and hire me to create what I call “Shamanic portraits” of their souls. I also attract freelance clients that hire me for my imaginative, magical, and fantasy-based work. I recently helmed the Last Unicorn based Tarot Deck for Geekify Inc, which had a wildly successful crowd-funded campaign for its production.

I continue to find ways to merge magic, soul, art, and sacredness.. and see this as the pure expression of my unique path as a creator of Worlds.

Which makes that little girl within me happy, every day.

Has it been a smooth road?
There have been many ups and downs. Years where I seem to be making many processes with my art business… and years where it seems to be crashing and burning, and I’ve had to really put myself out there to learn new strategies and find ways to compromise while still remaining true to my vision for what I want to create. I’ve had to work hard to discover strategies for being seen in the art world, and for getting my vision out there. I’ve had to continue to both hone my skills, and learn to promote myself and my abilities. I’ve also had to gain a little more business sense (not easy for most artists!), which is still an ongoing road. Building an audience, no matter how talented you are, is no easy feat. You have to really, really believe in the magic that you are putting out there.. and to constantly acquire mileage of exposure. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. That’s for sure.

Please tell us more about your artwork, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a Colorado-based artist who pulls fantastical concepts, bioluminescent creatures, and surreal dimensions from the others. My unique style is a merging of strong technical abilities, a deep sense of magic, and a shamanic relationship with the earth. I approach my work with intensity and form a complex magical connection with each piece.. which is part of why my work feels so vibrantly alive.

I work in traditional oil paints and colored pencils, and I also paint digitally. (My traditional medium paintings are always on wood panels. I find that wood has a soul in a way that canvas does not.)

I have private collectors of my originals, sell open-edition prints on my website, live-paint at festivals and events, and work with a variety of freelance art and illustration clients. I also am known for my “shamanic portraits” – portraits that seek to portray the magic within the souls of my clients.

My art isn’t just an image, but the product of a deep soul relationship that comes from an idea that our indigenous ancestors had. Which is the idea that the things we create are “medicine”; they contain within them a spirit that effects our energy when we perceive it, and can actually shift our world when we regard its sacredness and absorb its intention. I am never making “just another piece” for my clients. I am always creating from the posture of a “medicine-maker.” My customers reflect that this is a potent and palpable part of the images I create and a huge part of why they seek me out.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The world of fine art and illustration is a saturated and ever-growing world of content. I don’t see that trend lessening in any way in the future. But in my particular niche, I think that there will always be a steady flow of people seeking art that tells a story of a deeper connection with spirit. I feel that the consciousness movement’s convergence with all aspects of life is also helping a large demographic of people consider everything they partake in – including art – in a far deeper and more intentional way. People who are on the cutting edge of spiritual growth, storytelling and the courageous use of magic in their particular industries are my main collectors. And I feel that those people will always be amongst us.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.adriannetamararachne.com
• Phone: 9512524135
• Email: adriannetamararachne@gmail.com
• Instagram: @adriannetamararachneart
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/adriannetamararachneart

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.