Artists of La Crosse: Mathew Tukua
Artists of La Crosse, WI: This is a series dedicated to local artists of the La Crosse area.
The purpose of this project is to bring awareness to the art community, what artists stand for, their purpose, their mediums, about the artist themselves and most importantly to connect everyone to one another.
For my project, I will be creating a piece dedicated to the artist and their art. It is a piece that integrates the two together; The process of this involves me taking a portrait of the artist and then creating a double exposure of the artist with their art
In conclusion ~ Make art of the artist and their art
It's like art to the third power or art inception!
This is a fun and interactive way for other artists to meet one another or learn about eachother. I will be sharing a new artist weekly so please make sure to check back in to see the new featured artist.
as always~ Enjoy!
This Week's Feature
Artist name: Mathew Tukua
Medium(s): Writing/Speaking/Interviewing
Instagram: @Bvlovechild and @Yabpod
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YABPod
https://www.facebook.com/BurtontheElf
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/YellingatBirds
Email: metukua@gmail.com
Statement:
You are a miracle
I don't think it can be overstated how much of a miracle it is that you are here and reading this right now. If you believe in a creator, then you believe that a being with infinite power and ability to create anything he or she wants and the power to see infinitely into the future wanted you to be here at this moment. If you don't believe in a creator, then events had to happen just as they did for billions upon billions of years for you to be alive and reading this at this precise moment. Through the universe' creation, to Earth's history, through every evolution, migration, war, mating, birth, if one thing changes at any point in billions of years of history, you aren't here. One stumble on an ancient battlefield, a group migrates a day later or an hour earlier, a change in the weather, an election goes a different way, anything. Either way, it is truly against all odds that you or anyone else on this planet even exists.
Let that thought permeate and flow through every decision you make, through every interaction with another miracle of a human being, through how you appreciate what we have, who we are and where we came from and through how you choose to live from this day on. Let it help guide you as you decide what is and is not important to the life of the absolute miracle that you are. And on your tough days, when you feel insignificant, think of the oceans of time behind you and how despite the universe trying everything in its power to stop your existence, you are still here."
When did you notice that you had a love for art?
As long as I can remember, I had a love for stories, acting and pretending. I had a year where I could draw birds pretty well :) but it we had a daily writing project in 5th grade where we would write a story going off of one line that our teacher wrote. That was my absolute favorite thing, and memories of that got me back into my writing habit and now I have a gigantic mass of words string together in notebooks, and documents that are looking for a home in someone else’s head.
Are you originally from La Crosse? If not, where are you from and how long have you lived here?
No, I grew up moving east on I-90 with my family, arriving in La Crosse in 7th Grade. It’s the first place that has truly felt like home.
Growing up what were your major influences as an artist? Other artists, Life events?
My major influence was the fact that my family was always on the move. I spent a lot of time alone as I got acclimated to new towns and new friends so a lot of time was spent daydreaming, writing and reading. I also spent a lot of nights as a child, sneaking out of bed after my parents went to sleep so I could watch late-night horror movies. I’ve always been addicted to different and weird stories not my own, and moving around allowed me the chance to both cultivate my creativity and constantly learn about new people.
What message do you want to share about your art?
To me, art is the translation of someone’s worldview through their chosen medium. Looking back, what I’ve noticed is that all of my work speaks to being vulnerable, being understanding, how I would like to see the world and its people thrive together and maybe how I see us getting there. I’m a romantic, optimistic, realistic, nihilistic, ambivert and I believe in all of you.
What do you stand for as an artist?
I believe anyone’s art is their best way to articulate their personal philosophies and that it is one of the pillars of being a human being. My hope is that the stories we tell through what we do are told with honesty, integrity and are genuine and earnest.
What is your process or headspace you get into while creating new pieces?
Anytime anywhere. My current challenge is still feeling I need to be “in the mood,” but my mind is constantly struggling with the multiple universes existing in it, so I am getting better at just getting down and dirty to get it out. Some days I relate more to pen and paper surrounded by some noise I can ignore and some days I need to be in front of a monitor in dead silence, but what’s most important is that I sit and just get it out without editing on the fly. Once it’s out, I can breath a little easier and nitpick myself later.
What does the piece you chose for this project mean to you? Why did you choose this one vs other pieces you have created?
The piece I will be choosing for this project is the pinnacle of my personal philosophy and something that I deeply believe that everyone should think about weekly if not daily.
