Tilda Mann
The series of paintings in Let’s Love Color began in Tilda’s pursuit of a material that would feel like the tempera paint she used in elementary school to paint flying birds for her classmates. It was vibrant and satisfyingly goopy. The adult version she settled on was Flashe, the opaque, vinyl-based paint that she used to achieve the intense red in “Ode to Matisse” and the cobalt in “Garden of Devotions.” Let’s Love Color also features other aqueous media including gouache, watercolor, aquarelle, and pen.
Tilda was an intuitive painter; she would often start working without a plan in mind, but rather with one detail that caught her attention -- an upside down chair on the lawn (“Autumn Antics”), her favorite Vietnamese vase (“Garden of Devotions”), the Greek compote vase that she inherited from her parents (“Spring Fling”). Sometimes, she would reference other artists whose work had inspired her, like Joan Brown, whom she held in high esteem for being a wonderful painter and a good mother. Inquiry and problem solving would often occur in later stages: what was possible with the bold images and colors she’d set in place? How would she push certain elements back and bring others forward? How would she create space? As she made decisions about color, paint application, and composition, she would sometimes paint or collage over existing work to transform a piece while letting some of its former qualities poke through (“Lev Luna on the Cusp”).
Tilda was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November of 2018. She created most of the work for her October 2019 show, Premonitions and Visitations -- which opened the night before her brother’s death from the same disease -- during her own year of grueling chemotherapy. Much of that work dealt with a semi-conscious brushing up against mortality. It was a window into a dark internal experience that her steadfast patience, courage, and hope did not always cast light on.
This series is different. It asks, how do we counter what we’ve been through? The only way is beauty. She was aware that this show would be her last, and she felt that these works reflected her truest voice. The entire world is a narrow bridge, she knew -- so, let’s love color.
This statement was written by Tilda’s daughter Sara, based on conversations with Tilda about this show.
Tilda was an intuitive painter; she would often start working without a plan in mind, but rather with one detail that caught her attention -- an upside down chair on the lawn (“Autumn Antics”), her favorite Vietnamese vase (“Garden of Devotions”), the Greek compote vase that she inherited from her parents (“Spring Fling”). Sometimes, she would reference other artists whose work had inspired her, like Joan Brown, whom she held in high esteem for being a wonderful painter and a good mother. Inquiry and problem solving would often occur in later stages: what was possible with the bold images and colors she’d set in place? How would she push certain elements back and bring others forward? How would she create space? As she made decisions about color, paint application, and composition, she would sometimes paint or collage over existing work to transform a piece while letting some of its former qualities poke through (“Lev Luna on the Cusp”).
Tilda was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November of 2018. She created most of the work for her October 2019 show, Premonitions and Visitations -- which opened the night before her brother’s death from the same disease -- during her own year of grueling chemotherapy. Much of that work dealt with a semi-conscious brushing up against mortality. It was a window into a dark internal experience that her steadfast patience, courage, and hope did not always cast light on.
This series is different. It asks, how do we counter what we’ve been through? The only way is beauty. She was aware that this show would be her last, and she felt that these works reflected her truest voice. The entire world is a narrow bridge, she knew -- so, let’s love color.
This statement was written by Tilda’s daughter Sara, based on conversations with Tilda about this show.
Let's Love Color
Ode to Matisse, mixed aqueous media on paper, 30" x 22" SOLD
Limited edition giclee print
Garden of Devotions, mixed aqueous media on paper, 22" x 30" SOLD
Limited edition giclee print
Lev Luna on the Cusp, mixed aqueous media on paper, 22" x 30" SOLD
Autumn Antics, mixed aqueous media on paper, 11" x 14" SOLD
Limited edition giclee print
Garden, mixed aqueous media on paper, 11" x 14" SOLD
Limited edition giclee print
Hydrangea, mixed aqueous media on paper, 6" x 8" SOLD
Limited edition giclee print
Potted Plant, mixed aqueous media on paper, 7" x 4" SOLD
Limited edition giclee print
Big Red Flower, oil on board, 11" x 14" SOLD
Spring Fling, mixed aqueous media on cardboard, 14" x 14" SOLD
Backyard Squash, mixed aqueous media on paper, 11" x 14" SOLD
Lala's Plant, mixed aqueous media on paper, 12" x 9" SOLD
Let's Love Color, mixed aqueous media on paper, 9" x 12" SOLD
Painting During These Days, mixed aqueous media on paper, 7" x 5" SOLD
Good Morning Studio, mixed aqueous media on paper, 9" x 12" SOLD
Reading in the Studio, mixed aqueous media on paper, 11" x 14" SOLD
Cathy's Garden, mixed aqueous media on paper, 11" x 14" SOLD
Striped Vase, mixed aqueous media on Yupo, 14" x 11" SOLD
Roderick's Sriracha, mixed aqueous media on paper, 11" x 8.5" SOLD
Tomato Paste, mixed aqueous media on paper, 11" x 8.5" SOLD
Ingredients, mixed aqueous media on paper, 8.5" x 11" SOLD
Nancy's Lunch, mixed aqueous media on paper, 6" x 7" SOLD
Ink Flowers, mixed aqueous media on paper, 6" x 8" SOLD
Working Remotely, mixed aqueous media on paper, 8.5" x 11" SOLD
Iron, mixed aqueous media on paper, 8" x 10" SOLD
Walking Woman Collage, found and painted paper, 10" x 8" SOLD
Fay's Garden 1, mixed aqueous media on paper, 14" x 11" SOLD
Fay's Garden 3, mixed aqueous media on paper, 14" x 11" SOLD
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To view work from Tilda Mann's Past Exhibitions:
Dispatches
June 16 - July 14, 2018
Premonitions and Visitations
October 16 - November 10, 2019