Alumni
Alumna Jordyn "Tache" Jade Exhibits Artwork At LA Art Show 2023
FIDM Grad Jordyn “Tache” Jade exhibited a new painting at the recent 2023 LA Art Show, called Divine, which represents an evolution of her personal artistic style. “I was developing a new series that I felt really encompassed my style and purpose, and after many hours in the studio, the Divine series was born.”
Born and raised in Simi Valley, California, Tache attended Santa Susana High School and briefly studied Journalism at Columbia College Chicago, which she quickly found wasn't a great fit. While considering her options, she recalled attending FIDM’s 3 Days of Fashion several years earlier and really enjoying it which inspired her. She moved back to California and enrolled at FIDM to earn an A.A. in Visual Communications and then her B.S. in Business Management, graduating in 2019. We checked in with Tache to learn more.
Congrats on your showing at the LA Art Show 2023! How did this come about? Thank you so much! It was an invigorating experience to participate in. Back in 2021, I had my first gallery exhibition in a group show at MRG Fine Art Gallery in Sherman Oaks. An artist friend of mine working at Graphaids Art Supplies in Agoura Hills had connected me with the owner of MRG Fine Art, Michael Goodman, who invited me to showcase my developing style series at MRG’s 2021 Anything Goes Art Show.
Goodman has been my mentor since then and during one meeting in the summer of 2022, we discussed my work being in a new show, which turned out to be the LA Art Show! The timing of the exhibition opportunity and the development of my series was divinely aligned and I knew this was the piece that had to be showcased at such a large-scale event.
Please tell us about your art. Where do you find inspiration? What mediums do you work in? I’m a contemporary artist and this new series focuses on the raw essence of the female form, anatomically and spiritually. I bleed depth into my work. I believe we’re not all that different from one another and typically our experiences aren’t all too different either. The major difference is our lens, our perspective through how we see life, our experiences, our environment, and ourselves. My work aims to connect us through our individual experiences and growth with the collective experience.
I’ve felt a personal metamorphosis happening for some time now and I think that experience really poured into this new series and my new piece at the show, entitled Divine. Divine has a poem embedded in the background, partially hidden by patches of paint. This poem encapsulates my focus for this year which is deepening the connection with our divine selves first, and connection with everything around us.
More technically, I draw heavy inspiration from ancient Greco-Roman artwork and sculptures of human anatomy as they perceived it. I’ve developed these poses to be striking and dynamic representations of the female form in a raw state that transcends mere sensualized beauty. Contrary to that, I have a real fondness for street and graffiti art. I think the harmony between that and a fine art approach is always what I strive to balance. For example, my use of Gothic calligraphy in my work is both an ode to calligraphy and street artists blasting Krink and Montana spray paint cans and an appreciation for Old English lettering in early historical manuscripts.
I have a few revolving mediums, but most consistently I use acrylic, acrylic gouache (my new favorite!), ink, and A LOT of gold leaf. To get past creative blocks I allow myself to do what I call freeform painting, which is essentially abstract painting with no direction as to what the finished piece will look like; very different from my typical studio work. This not only expands my portfolio and potential commission offerings, but breaks apart any stagnant creative energy to let go, try out new texturizing pastes, colors, and materials, and go with the flow!
How did FIDM help prepare you for this work? Being a self-taught artist with no formal training means a lot of experimentation, trial and error, success and failures, and trying again, and again, and again…and again! Despite not attending art school, FIDM prepared me in more ways than I could have imagined on this journey. The Visual Communication program exposed me to working with new materials and how to construct your sketch into an actual life form. Each class offered something unique to me that has helped me along this path, from brand design mockups to effectively communicating a concept visually to your audience.
It was an incredibly arduous challenge to decide between the Design and Business Management Bachelor’s programs. I thought through it for weeks, discussed it with my advisors frequently, and finally came to the decision that aligned best with me, and it was one of the best fundamental decisions I’ve ever made. I knew I was an artist at heart, that it was a part of my soul. Starting a business, however, was not. I knew I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and run my own business(es), though, so the training I received in the Business Management program was so important in laying down that groundwork to take my art business, and all future businesses, beyond hobbies and into profitable production.
Anything else you’d like to share? If FIDM hasn’t already cemented this into your soul: network, network, network! Seriously, never underestimate where one simple conversation can go, or who, or what opportunity it could lead to.
My last little piece of advice: try to not let fear or doubt ever come between you and your dreams or goals. I think I had to learn this the hard way despite advice, but I’m growing and am now rooted in pushing beyond that space of fear and reminding myself of that.
You can find my work on Instagram @heyitstache and @tachetheartist and online at www.tachetheartist.com. I love connecting with fellow alumni and current students. Send me a DM and let’s connect!
Categories: Business Management Alumni
