Jacqueline Collen-Tarrolly – Horse Artist Interview

Name
Jacqueline Collen-Tarrolly

Website & Places you can find my work online
My website is www.toadstoolfarm.com and my phone is 310 502 1462. Email is info{at}toadstoolfarm.com.

Where I am
I live in the greater Los Angeles area

Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I’m originally from Colorado, but when I was 18 was scouted by a modelling agent and went to Paris France. I lived there a year then moved to new York City and modelled there until my son was born in 1990. After that, we moved to California and I’ve been here ever since. I stopped modelling/acting in 1999 and have never looked back. I’ve been a professional artists for the last 9 years.

When did you first start drawing & painting?
Always. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t. When I was 5 I got second place ( I thought for years it was first but I recently found a picture of myself holding a red ribbon, so I guess it was second) in a local community art contest for kids in Kindergarten to 6th grade. I’d painted a tooth fairy.

You paint more than just horses, what is your favorite subject and why?
Anything Otherworldy. Horses have an Otherworld quality to them so its easy to see why I fit them into my main art theme of fantasy and fairy-like subjects, but I paint a lot of fairies, mermaids, unicorns and so forth.

I don’t know why, actually. They chose me, the Fairies. People think my house must be full of Fairy stuff and its really not. I don’t see myself as a Fairy, certainly. I’m more of a Elf if I had to choose. But I’ve just always painted them and the Otherworld things.

Your work has a magical quality about it, what inspires your art?
Truly, I don’t know. As I mentioned, I feel like the Fae Folk picked me, not the other way around. I’ve just always been a little funny. As in strange, not funny haha. I can remember talking to storms as a child, and listening for voices in the wind and the leaves rustling in the trees. I remember sitting in fields with wild baby hares playing around me.

Maybe it was because we moved to this small ranch way outside of civilization and as my parents worked, I was alone a lot once I was old enough to be. I just ran semi -feral all the time so I think I just got a very strong working connection to the Earth and I’ve always had a “vivid imagination”, my mother called it, so put the two together and there you have it.

Who are your main artistic influences?
Waterhouse, Brian Froud, Eyvind Earle, Victoria Francis and a lot of very unknown artists whose work I see in lots of random places.

Do you have any secret rituals you do to help you get in the zone to paint?
LOL…no, not really. I just paint. Sometimes, I’ll get an image in my head that wont leave me alone till I paint it, but that’s about it.

Is there a particular place that brings you inspiration?
No. I’m sort of surrounded by inspiration. Hearing a word on TV can spark something. Or just walking around, or sometimes, it literally just pops into my head.

What effect do you think the Internet will have on art & artists?
I think it already has had a huge affect on artists and art. Now, the entire world can see an artist’s work without the need for a brick and mortar Gallery.

Its made being a professional artist making a living a much more realistic goal for many artists. It certainly has for me.

Which one is your personal favorite piece?
That would be like choosing a favorite child. I can’t. There ae some where I feel I achieved what I saw in my head better than others, but there is no one favorite per se. I have some that were inspired by events in my life that I guess have more meaning to me, but that’s about it.

Would you ever sell it?
I sell 90% of my Originals. Or try to anyway. I have a very few that I’ve not ever listed for sale. One of them is a piece I painted for my daughter. It hangs in her room.

What else are you passionate about?
Horses, horses, horses. I have 8 and they are my whole soul. I love nature, animals, reading (I eat books for breakfast practically), writing, music…pretty much anything creative.

Oh, and shoes. I love shoes. And Hot Chocolate.

Working on anything new?
I’m always working on new stuff. Right now I’m working on a commissioned piece. And I”m developing some branded screenprinted items for my webshop.

More to Come

Thanks to Jacqueline for answering the interview and sharing her work. Be sure to check out her art site periodically for updates about her latest works.

Also stay tuned for more interviews with horse artists and photographers. Are you a horse artist or do you know an equine artist you’d like to see featured? Add your name and website in the comments below or drop me a note to get involved.