Page 82 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2019

Featured
ARTIST
STORY BY KELSEY SUNDERMAN-FOSTER PHOTOS COURTESY OF TAI TAEOALII
Meet Tai Taeoalii, an artist from Hannibal, Missouri, whose medium of choice is the humble ballpoint pen. While often dark, his detailed drawings are cartoonish and whimsical, a stark contrast to the angsty scenes he portrays.
“Creating with inspiration fueled by music and the nostalgic memories of my turbulent teenage years, I’ve tried to utilize my self- taught techniques cultivated
from urban doctrines in an effort to create art that evokes an honest – and, hopefully – profound emotional experience,” says Taeoalii.
Growing up as a bi-racial
child in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a predominantly white, suburban environment, Taeoalii fabricated
a self-perception of pariahdom. “Tormented with that angst and confusion at such a young age, I was fortunate to discover that the arts were a perfect way to express the frustrations of my cultural identity,” he said.“Through my artistic explorations, I realized my auto-didactic ability, which evolved into experimentation with nearly every type of art form, including
TAI TAEOALII: A LITTLE BIT OF INK, A WHOLE LOT OF IMAGINATION
DESIGN
FINDS
StopBy
These Special Ocean Springs Retailers
Fish Art Pottery
by Brian Nettles
from Pass Christian, MS
Hillyer House
920 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs 228.875.8065
And
Flower Bead Purse
from Mary Frances
Gina’s
902 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs 228.818.3333
graffiti and tattoo work, but no medium has captured and retained my affections as strongly as drawing with a ballpoint pen, so that has been my central focus for most of my artistic career.”
Some of Taeoalii’s recent works have featured ballpoint pen drawings on Mylar film, which he accents with color. Many of his works include familiar faces, such as Alice, the March Hare and
the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, which are featured in his original work But I Don’t Want to Go Among Mad People, one of The Dark Crystal’s Mystics in Itamae: a Mystic Sushi Master, and Marvin the Martian in Trophy Hunter.
“While my art is seemingly filled with symbolic imagery, bearing social or political commentary,
I never consciously approach a drawing with the intent of forcing my beliefs or opinions on viewers,” says Taeoalii.“My creative process spawns from an organic and authentic subconscious journey and my creations manifest more by virtue of my own self-evaluation and less of propagating my ideology.”
82 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • October 2019
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