Tania Cavenecia Torres designs reflect her rich Peruvian heritage. This rich culture, amazing artistry and workmanship in textiles, ceramics, and metallurgy, continues today. The materials she creates with, silver, semi-precious stones, leather, and seeds from the Amazon Rain Forest, are also rivers of inspiration.
Once you have taken a trip through her online shops you will realize that she continues the centuries old traditions. Her creativity and art will leave a lasting impression on today’s world.
Enjoy!
How did you get your start in the world of art? I have always had the desire to draw ever since I was a small child. I remember in kindergarten a drawing I did of a pilgrim couple appeared on the cover of the school newsletter. In high school I was introduced to painting in acrylics which I loved . This motivated me to take a youth course in oil painting one summer at the California College of Arts and Crafts. Upon graduating from high school I decided to enroll in the Academy of Art in San Francisco. There I especially enjoyed my classes in Figure Drawing and Fashion Illustration. Later I took classes in jewelry making and this is what I am pursuing now.
Do you have a ritual you perform before you start creating? I don't have a ritual but I must truly be inspired by something which gives me a driving force to want to create.
What do you like best, the creative process or the final creation? I love both. The creative process is great because you are so immersed in your work that you forget to eat and hours just fly by. The final product feels so rewarding and to have a tangible object to keep or share of the whole creative experience is really special.
What are your favorite art media, tools, and supplies? For drawing I like to work with charcoal pencils, woodless pencils in 9B and kneaded erasers. For oil painting I use Refined Linseed oil.
When a creative block happens, what process do you go through to get the creative juices flowing again? I have to get up and walk away. Do something totally different and try to come back with a fresh mind.
What do you hope your art says about you? I have pride in my work. It's important to me to strive to do my best in anything I'm working on.
What is your greatest dream and greatest fear as an artist? I have no fear as an artist. For me it's a wonderful feeling to be able to express my creativity in any form, be it drawing, painting, sewing, or jewelry making. To have an inspiration, then a vision of what you want to produce, and actually be able to execute it, is very satisfying. As for a dream, maybe to be able to make a living doing what I love.
What are your goals in art, and in life? For my art I want to always continue learning, challenging myself with new mediums, and perfecting my techniques. In life, to be happy and balanced in all I do.
Tell us a little bit about yourself—where you grew up, your life now, other creative pursuits, other interests and hobbies. I grew up and still live in northern California near San Francisco, here there is great diversity in art and culture. My father is from Peru and as I got older this part of my heritage began to have a great influence on my work. There is so much beauty and art in Peru, in the diverse landscape, culture, and in ancient and modern artistry. I've been to Peru many times and find that it begins to call me back when I stay away for too long. I use my blog on my 1000 Markets shop to share how Peru has inspired my work.
Right now all my creative juices are going into my jewelry making business and I love it. I've found that I can use my art and creative talents in all aspects of my business and am really enjoying that. It's more than just designing and creating the jewelry, there's designing the shop banner, the logo, business cards, the shop layout, photographing and displaying the products and packaging. Even the final phase of wrapping and sending off an order is important to me. I want each piece I make to bring joy to the person who will receive it, starting from the moment of opening the package.
Do you have more than one 1000Markets shop and/or other online shops? I have two shops http://taniacavenecia.1000markets.com and http://taniacavenecia.etsy.com
Beautiful jewelry! Great interview too.
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