Mother

Artist Bio

Tien Tran is a fourth-year Drawing and Painting major, with minors in Art History as well as Design and Media at the University of Georgia. She is a traditional and digital painter who was born in Vietnam and now resides in Georgia. Her works explore the Asian-American experience including the dual-identity of a first-generation immigrant, diasporic tensions, and celebration of her roots.

Interview with the Artist

1. What was your inspiration for this piece?

Mother was inspired by the development of maternal love between my mother and I. For me, the typical kind of motherly love wasn’t as obvious for me growing up. My parents were “tiger parents”, they showed tough-love and were never upfront with affection. It wasn’t until I left for college that my mom told me that she loved me for the first time, and began to embrace me whenever she saw me. It was a different feeling born of complex experiences, but every time I heard it, I felt like I was a kid again. For me, painting this maternal relationship was a way of weaving my nostalgic past devoid of it and allowing that child in me to live vicariously through my experiences now.

2. What is your creative process? (How do you go about creating?)

I generally brainstorm based on my current feelings or experience, I think about a theme and create a reference folder like a moodboard of images that help convey these themes. Most of works are generally informed by my experiences as a first-generation immigrant, which has shaped my life. I am interested in exploring and reflecting my identity through these themes.

3. What are some influences on your artistic process?

I am inspired by Vietnamese-American artists such as Tran Nguyen, as well as the works of Mary Cassatt, whose works reflected on feminist thought and the role of women in society and family.