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Tamra Spivey could whistle melodies before she could talk; it’s surprising that her family never guessed she might be a musician. Nor did they draw the obvious conclusion from her habit of filling huge reams of butcher paper with intricate geometric drawings. Perhaps this explains why she is that rare artist, a talent with little desire for appreciation. Her band Lucid Nation’s 2002 release “Tacoma Ballet” hit #1 on college radio without touring and with little promotion. The difficult two hour opus of rock improvisation with drummer Patty Schemel at the helm shows off Tamra’s verbal skills inspiring serious comparisons to Gertrude Stein and Jim Morrison. ASCAP and CMJ showcases, major and indie label contracts, have so far been refused. Instead of exploiting her college radio success with a suitable follow up, 2003 was highlighted by instrumental recordings with Jean Smith and David Lester of Mecca Normal, and NYC jazz drummer LaFrae Olivia Sci. The project, christened Mung Jung Bushi by Jean Smith, is being mixed by John X (Rolling Stones, Bowie).As one might expect, Tamra is equally adverse to promotion of her art. Despite that, she has participated in shows and she has had a one person show (at Oren Gallery in Venice, California). She was also one of eight artists chosen from around the world to be featured in the French national media for the opening of France’s first on-line art gallery. The European ARTE channel featured her in 1998 as one of three female artists in an hour-long documentary on underground art. All of this was achieved by friends and fans of her work prevailing upon her to participate. Tamra has described her bursts of creativity as “a fever, an obsession that seizes me. I work late into the night till I can’t anymore.” When the fever is over the work is stored away somewhere. “I don’t live like an artist,” Tamra has said, “I don’t shmooze with other artists at the artist parties; I don’t have a rolodex of gallery owner’s names. I hardly ever go into galleries. I prefer museums.”
Tamra’s work can be neatly divided between paintings and what she likes to call Surreal Assemblages such as “Do You Have Any Coffee?” a sardonic portrait of a depressed executive secretary consisting of a painted goat skull staring from atop a ticking box metronome, inspired by obscure Spanish surrealist Leviathan’s birthday gift to General Franco (an ingenious mechanical assemblage including a rooster head mounted on top of an ever spinning record player). Further evidence of Tamra’s disinterest in her completed works is that the piece was sold without ever having been documented.
Full article can be found here:
http://newtopiamagazine.wordpress.com/2013/11/02/archives-musicians-who-paint-the-art-of-tamra-spivey/
Tamra’s work can be neatly divided between paintings and what she likes to call Surreal Assemblages such as “Do You Have Any Coffee?” a sardonic portrait of a depressed executive secretary consisting of a painted goat skull staring from atop a ticking box metronome, inspired by obscure Spanish surrealist Leviathan’s birthday gift to General Franco (an ingenious mechanical assemblage including a rooster head mounted on top of an ever spinning record player). Further evidence of Tamra’s disinterest in her completed works is that the piece was sold without ever having been documented.
Full article can be found here:
http://newtopiamagazine.wordpress.com/2013/11/02/archives-musicians-who-paint-the-art-of-tamra-spivey/
