Tia Nii

Artist Statement

Hi, all, I am Tia Nii. I’m a multimedia artist living here in California. Throughout my life, I’ve explored a multitude of mediums. Over time, I began to realize that it has less to do with finding an art form that resonates with me and more to do with curiosity, exploration, creation. The play of shaping stories with my hand, eye and heart.
That brings us to now. When my friend came to me with a commission to paint a pair of worn out cowboy boots with iconography that she found to be personally powerful, we both had no idea what a creative fire she started.
Working on leather captivates me. It is different than canvas. It carries its own history. It has scars, stretches, textures from lives already lived. It moves with you.
There’s something raw and alive about it. The way the hide breathes under the brush, how, every stroke sink in, and it becomes part of the material. I love the dialogue between the leather and the paint.
It’s honoring stories, life embedded in materials. My pieces carry that memory. With the imagery I add, it begins telling a new story, your story. It becomes something personal and intimate like a tattoo. It’s art sunken into the skin that travels with you. This is not art kept in private homes, this is wearable art made to be shared.