Roxsane Tiernan

Roxsane Tiernan studied Applied Art at Capliano College and received a Bachelor of Education at Simon Fraser University. She has participated in many exhibitions throughout the Lower Mainland and continues to hone her skills through various art workshops. She is a founding member of the Squamish Weaver’s and Spinners Guild, is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and has served on the various arts councils throughout the Lower Mainland. Her upcoming exhibition

“From Both Sides Now” includes chigiri-é and acrylic paintings. (The Japanese word “Chigiri-e” is the combination of two basic words “chigiri” and “-e”.

“Chigiri” is the noun form of the verb “chigiru” which means “to tear” and “-e” is an art work or picture painted through tearing of Washi paper.) “As an artist, I look at the world sometimes from the inside, sometimes from the outside. I
am fascinated by the endless possibilities of Chrigir- é but I also love the freedom of acrylics. When I let art take me where it will, sometimes wonderful pieces emerge so I have learned to look at art ‘from both sides now’”, states the artist.

Roxsane Tiernan Bio:

Burnaby resident Roxsane Tiernan studied Applied Art at Capilano College, placing on the Dean’s List. She has
experimented in many media: pencil, oils, acrylics, and watercolours.

She has studied and produced weaving, fabric design, and soft sculpture before learning the techniques of Chigiri-e’ in Japan. She attends workshops locally and abroad as her curiosity is boundless. An international traveler and educator, she soaks up local colour, customs, and cultural influences.

These cross-cultural experiences stimulate her imagination and creativity. Her work can be found in collections in Canada, the United States, Japan, and Europe.

 
Roxsane was born and raised in the Greater Vancouver area. She attendedUBC and became an elementary school teacher. She married, and has lived on Harrison Lake, in Sardis, Surrey and Squamish raising three girls all actively engaged in the community. At present she lives in Burnaby.

Roxsane studied Applied Art at Capilano College, placing on the Dean’s
List. She has experimented in many media – pencil, acrylics, watercolours and oils. She studied and produced weaving, fabric design and soft sculpture before learning the techniques of Chigiri-é in Japan. She attends workshops locally and abroad whenever possible as her curiosity is boundless.

A founding member of the Squamish Weaver’s and Spinner’s guild she later returned to complete her B.Ed at SFU, worked in Mexico as the Program Director for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, became an international educator teaching high school and marketing for the district in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan andMexico. Wherever she travels she soaks up local colour, customs and cultural influences. These cross-cultural experiences blend with her lively imagination, her creativity and her love of the outdoors to provide an endless variety of subjects for her art work. Roxsane’s work can be found in collections in Canada, the United States, Europe and Japan.
 
One afternoon during my first visit to Japan in 1984, I took a class in Chigiri-é, a Japanese torn paper technique. It taught me the basics of using paper including the type of glue to use and the way to get the desired shapes. It did not teach me how to compose my work, how to dye the paper, or even hint at the myriad of colours and textures of paper available. That process incubated until late 1997 when I suddenly began to create artwork that amazed me. I just wanted to do more and more.

As an artist the discovery of Chigiri-é opened my creative channels. I enjoy the variety of papers, the feel of paper, it can be sturdy or fragile, bright or hazy, fibrous or sheer – gauzy. I love it all.

Recently, I have experimented with the exuberance of acrylics using playful, audacious colour. At times I combine acrylics and paper to create a mixed media piece. This incorporates the textures of paper with the colour of acrylics.