Tula Telfair

I grew up traveling all over the world because of my father’s profession. He was a geological mining engineer and our home base was in Gabon, located on the west coast of Africa. We lived in the jungle and raised orphaned baby lowland gorillas. Nature was the most powerful force there, I always felt small in the face of such a constant and unpredictable presence. We lived in one of the least populated parts of the planet with the Fang, Pygmy, and Bakuta tribes.

Although my work looks very realistic, I work intuitively and only plan the size and format of each canvas. I mix up colors associated with my memory of a certain type of weather, and location on the planet and then start painting. I invent the images I create and they change frequently from start to finish — a desert scene could become a mountain covered in snow.

I am interested in triggering recognition and longing with my work. I hope to inspire viewers to contemplate their past and future, recall meaningful moments they experienced in nature, and to satisfy their desire to witness something that is both familiar and new in order to have an experience that makes them aware of being alive.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tula.telfair

Instagram: @tulatelfair

Website: https://www.tulatelfair.com