Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nia-Tara Hall Byrd. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Nia-Tara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
I spent quite some time in nursing first, and then in corporate America in property management. Nursing gave me a solid foundation when it comes to relating with collectors and clients; you never really unlearn that level of deep, personal care you give to people in their most intimate moments. It’s been a foundation for relating to collectors when they may not know exactly what piece they are looking to have created, I can pull it out of them with the right questions and leave the interaction comfortable and confident with my creative approach to their commission. With property management, and more importantly, staging homes; I gained a real knowledge on spacing and proportion when it comes to how a piece will agree with a space; and what a space may need to give it that eclectic/eye-catching pop. You can have an amazing idea, but if you don’t know how to execute it properly within a given space; it will always fall flat. Collectors often have a particular space or area they want to display a new piece, and will many times share photos of the room a piece will be displayed and I will instantly be flooded with how to bring their ideas and my aesthic to the area because I gained so much experience with learning how to fill a space in an appealing way. I wouldn’t give up those experiences for the world because they have shaped my creative approach so much!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Since childhood, art has been an alternate means for communicating the feelings and stories that I often struggle to find words for. Growing up in New York City, I developed a deep appreciation and enchantment with the rich colors and textures blending; intertwining, and away from each other in endless tales without end. Being an African American in a place filled with so many immigrants with rich cultures & differing customs inspired a love for literature and storytelling in search of answers to my own roots. When I moved to North Carolina with my family to finish my schooling; it was a culture shock. I was met with the stillness and tranquility of southern life that allowed me reflection, and appreciation for nature as much as people. I graduated with a degree in recreational therapy from East Carolina University in 2015, afterward living in the Outerbanks and working in property management. I am truly a wanderer and lover at heart and have since pursued both my love of people, pigment, and life as simple as I can manage as a stay-at-home mother & artist. In the city; people are the flowers. In the deepest of Carolina corners, trees grow with roots far before my time. I try to capture my subjects as I imagine these gentle giants catch us and our truths; tell their stories with a whimsy and eerie playfulness as the silent, ancient cypresses I’ve grown to adore. Here, where I’ve planted roots in Charlotte; I’ve been beyond inspired by both the real people, their lore, their joy, sorrow, and all the interpretations I can squeeze out of my fingertips in this fleeting, beautiful life.
My painting style is inherently naive as I am entirely self-taught; though it can be described as a romantic-expressionistic style with hints of pop art, stuckism, impressionism & symbolism. I lend towards epoxy resin, and acrylic paints, and my preferred medium of choice; though I do like to occasionally experiment with oil & pastels. When approaching a painting, I will typically have 1-4 subjects in mind or photograph for musing and will pre-sketch the envisioned daydream to the canvas before approaching. Each piece will typically have a narrative or backstory that can be deciphered by observing small details in the painting and among my other pieces. They live in their own ‘multiverse’ if you will. Womanhood, transformation, and destiny are common motifs in my work, which has the dark yet playful tones of a fever dream. I live for the challenge of a commissioned piece and weaving a collector’s vision and wants into my aesthetic because it always reveals something to me about my artistic style that was previously uncovered. Lean towards using acrylics because of how committed you have to be to your chosen palette and technique; it is truly the most fearless form of painting in my opinion, the swift intensity in blending pigments in such a short work time; the reverence you commit to when you add on top of the layers. Heavy emphasis on color, light, emotion, and soft movement is typical of my approach. Line and form are not shackles to brushstrokes, as I love to let my subjects have freedom on canvas that I hope to exist in my wildest dreams.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the ability to bring such long-lasting sentiment to the collectors of my pieces. I have done portraits and commissions of loved ones, pets, places, and even concepts that I never thought to put together at all like alien-cat-women. I know for sure that challenging myself to bring these concepts to life sharpens my skill set from a technical perspective, but the reaction and joy that I see in the owner’s face, or messages sent with my art hanging up happily in a hallway or bedroom is intangible. It’s such a huge honor to be able to literally paint the walls that people live their lives in; it’s a super sacred honor that I don’t take for granted no matter how many pieces I create and sell.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I believe when you are looking to decorate a space or give a gift for a birthday or housewarming, it should be more of the norm to look towards a local/ small business owner or artist where you can connect with the artist you are commissioning or receiving pieces from. Getting back to a place where our homes have real pieces of work with stories and hand-crafted care is what you will ultimately leave for generations to come; manufactured and mass-produced microwave pieces don’t just dull a space; they take opportunities from creatives who would love to give a more customized attention to detail. Choosing real artists over cheap replicas at big chain stores ends up being a win for everyone and you get to live in a community with real character and charm because the people there illustrate it. I’d love for generations from now, for people to identify my art and trace it back to the southern/ east coast area that I’m from. All we have is our art, photos, words, and videos to leave behind for all who come after us and I believe it is super important to have that be as authentic as possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hallbyrd.com
- Instagram: hallxbyrd
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HallByrd
Image Credits
N/A