We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Timothea Biermann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Timothea, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
For the past 25 years I have taught K-12 art for Denver Public Schools. It was pretty challenging to prioritize my personal creativity and art practice. I have spent much time writing and developing curriculum for my classroom and the school district. This professional work is a different type of creativity expression, and is quite fulfilling. I teach students art skills, techniques, and studio habits, as well how to observe, analyze and create art. Although I took classes at local arts organizations, my pile of unfinished artworks was stacking up! In 2008 I began graduate school at Savannah College of Art and Design. I was enrolled in a distance learning program and attended in person classes in Georgia and France during the summers. I continued to teach full time as I earned my MA in painting, and didn’t sleep very much during those years! Once I committed myself to work/life balance, my creativity was renewed. 2 1/2 years ago, I co-founded the Chameleon Art Collective. As we developed our collective, our creativity began to soar. We began collaborating on a variety of projects, including artwork, murals and exhibitions. We make art and have critiques as we encourage each other to grow. I rented a studio at Blue Tile Gallery & Art Space and devoted lots of time to create my own artwork. Now I am exhibiting and selling art in galleries such as Pirate Contemporary Art, Core Art Space, NKollectiv, and the Lab on Santa Fe.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
As an artist, I am excited by the fluid overlap and experimentation of mixed media. The past two years I have been focusing on lo-fi, graphic, cavalier screen printing and abstract expressionist painting. I am experimenting with ways to apply ink and paint to my prints and canvases. My screen printing and painting styles both use saturated color and a hefty amount of black. I paint my abstractions with various tools, such as squeegees, cloths, my hands, brushes and canned air. I utilize dark cave-like shapes and contrasting vivid color in order to express aspects of personal and natural transformation. My paintings are influenced by abstract expressionists including Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenther, Hans Hoffman, Jay DeFeo, Clyfford Still and Morris Louis. Moving forward, my next goals are to expand my virtual presence and sell my artwork online.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
On my journey as a teaching artist, my collaboration, leadership and networking skills have served me well. It took me many years to develop these qualities, and I am alway looking for opportunities for further growth. I had to overcome poor self-esteem, lack of confidence, and social anxiety to get to where I am today.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My friend and mentor, artist Courtney Cotton, has been my biggest influence the past 3 years. I have known Courtney for 16 years and taught her children art at Slavens School for 6 years. Shortly after I co-founded the Chameleon Art Collective, Courtney generously exhibited our first group show at Blue Tile Gallery, and taught us how to curate, exhibit, and sell. We were so grateful to have such an expert help us out of sheer kindness as well as the strong desire to promote and lift up emerging local artists.
Courtney simultaneously organized the exhibit and facilitated a mural opportunity for our collective while teaching us about painting and the business side of being an artist. One of her many strengths is her ability to connect people by networking and sharing opportunities.
I rent a studio at Blue Tile Art Space, managed by Courtney. She is my role model and mentor at the studio. I have taken outstanding painting workshops from Courtney through the Colorado Art Education Association. She has inspired and taught me so much, especially techniques and abstraction. She hosts critiques at Blue Tile and gives excellent feedback on the fly too. I am lucky to learn from her ongoing dedication to her practice and the results of her tenacity. Her paintings are deliciously rich, vibrant and with thoughtful compositions. Her use of white space and varied mark making is most admirable.
I have witnessed her creative process for 16 years and can attest to her talent. While raising her 3 children, Courtney carved out early morning bits of time to keep her practice going. She took every artistic opportunity possible to authentically create, market herself and sell art. She is community oriented, collaborative, and a generous teaching artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bluetilegallery.com/artists/ https://chameleon-collective.com/home-2/the-artists/timothea-biermann/
- Instagram: @ms.biermann @chameleon.art.collective
Image Credits
Timothea Biermann
