Meet Tee Rose | Visual Artist & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tee Rose and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tee, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
I think the most important thing I’ve learned is perseverance. With art, you submit to different shows and a lot of times you get rejected or you go to events and either do not get great feedback or you do not make a lot of sales and it’s easy to get discouraged and feel like your effort is not being rewarded. But I just keep practicing and working and as I get better and better, I get more opportunities to show my work and more positive feedback and encouragement.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started painting over ten years ago, and it’s crazy to see how much my skills have changed over the years. When I first started I used pastels and water to paint because I was afraid of acrylic paint and thought I could not make it look good. But I finally took the plunge and started painting full paintings with acrylics and I just kept working at it, experimenting with different brushes and types of canvases and things like that. I am now at a point in my practice where I can see all those years of experience paying off. My work is very moody and subtle, and it requires a soft, measured touch, It’s taken me years to perfect this touch, and I’m so excited to be seeing the results. The dark and moody atmosphere I create with my paintings has now become my signature and it’s been amazing to see its impact on viewers and to be able to share the stories behind my paintings as well.

Another big aspect of my work is that it has always been inspired by music, When I first started painting, I would listen to a song and see certain shapes and movements and try to recreate those on the canvas. But as time has gone on, I have chosen songs that I have a deeper connection with, songs that have a story, or that relate to certain parts of my life or aspects of my existence. Now my work is an attempt to marry music and painting in a way that tells stories about identity, loss, and other aspects of life. I feel like the deeper context my work has also contributed to its progress and ultimately, its success.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a huge nature nerd, and I love birding. I would probably take them to the Trinity River Audubon Center. It’s absolutely beautiful and an amazing place to be, there’s flowers, and birds, and ponds and it’s just really a nice place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And the staff is really nice. After a day of birding I’d probably hit up Meddlesome Moth for brunch. Some of my other favorite nature haunts include White Rock Lake and the Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve. Fort Worth Botanical Garden is really awesome too, (I’m obsessed with flowers so of course this is top of list for me.) My second favorite activity after birding is shopping and Dallas is definitely a good place for that! I love going to North Park, and am always on the hunt for fun new consignment shops to check out. And for the last night out, I’d probably either take my friend to Roots Southern Kitchen in Farmers Branch, or Pangea in Garland, best elevated comfort food spots IMO!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s so many people, particularly artists that have really supported me and encouraged me on my artistic journey. For my shoutout I want to give recognition to the artist Cedric Michael Cox, a painter based in Ohio where I used to live. Not only has he offered encouragement over the years but he’s also answered questions I have about the technical aspects of being an artist, things like pricing, or applying for shows. I also think his success as an artist is really inspiring and has been really cool to watch.

Website: https://www.teenoellrose.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noellrose37/