Meet Tricia Faulkner

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tricia Faulkner.

Hi Tricia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up spending summers on a small farm. I would wander about through the gardens, pick fruits and veggies, plant, snap peas, can tomatoes, clean fish we caught and even sold our produce on the roadside in Alabama. During the school year I lived a city life with very young parents. Although my father, a preacher, held a controlling strict environment where children were to be seen and not heard, I did manage to pull out a strong sense of compassion for Christ’s story and the love we are to exemplify toward others. We had a rigid structure at home, and moved so much that I attended 13 different schools before I graduated from high school. Due to my super hyper personality and trying to stay out of trouble I turned to drawing at such an early age that it has always been a part of who I am. I drew things of nature, plants, animals, and often pulled out illustrative books and immersed myself into the fantasies of the pages. Art made me focus, express, release and contain my energy. Without realizing why, I was also using art to nourish my soul’s longing for the life where I felt alive, growing free, and uninhibited on the farm.

I started working as soon as I turned 16, and after a few years moved out on my own, and became a young mother. During those early years I survived many forms of abuse, but with grit and determination I managed to obtain a doctorate degree. I kept returning to my escape by finding peace and purpose in art. In April 2020 I abandoned my career as a pharmacist after 17 years, then a Realtor for 2 years, and decided to follow my passion of creating. I create art in two aspects, one draws on conflict; be it internal or external, and two draws on resolution, escape, and mental therapy. Because I want to create emotion in the faces of suffering and suppression, I choose to balance that with fantasy, comedy, and meditative art as therapy to myself and the viewer. As a survivor of many obstacles I want to show the world that I understand what they are going through emotionally and mentally and that often our minds can keep us enclosed. At the same time lashing out is not the answer. I feel we can all unify in humanity by finding a healthy means of projecting anger, betrayal, abuse, discrimination, and grief in the form of laying it onto canvas. I also feel we can heal in mutual Spirit using meditative means by portraying worlds of joy, fantasy, and humor that joins humanity in understanding circumstances, and the hope for resolving differences in society.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In April 2020, When I decided to pursue my passion for art I knew I needed to be educated and this was my first challenge. I have always had artistic abilities but kept hesitating to invest in myself because I never once had an art lesson in my life. I could sketch and portray a person on paper in about 10 minutes but I had no clue how to achieve a decent painting. Education was key here; and one of my mantras is KNOWLEDGE is PEACE.

I took an online art course in understanding bold color painting and how to mix colors to achieve expressions without necessarily looking like a cartoon. I posted my first artwork on Facebook ( I never had social media until I became a Realtor). My first artwork was a photograph I had taken when serving as a pharmacist on a mission in Honduras. My second post was an expressive/semi-fantasy work of my daughter. After that post, which my sweet daughter shared, I was inundated with people asking me to paint portraits of their children, loved ones, and pets.

As my confidence grew, so did my business. I started Tricia Faulkner Art LLC, built a website, got an Instagram, reviewed more online techniques, continued to sketch, and have now built-in 2 years of a steady income stream from my passion and my talent God gifted me since my time on Earth. When I tell the story, I realize every aspect and the roles I played in my life led me closer to achieving the gift God granted me. And every time I put Him first and had faith in that goal, things changed.

Other than the very personal struggles that kept me from moving forward, I would say time was a challenge. Creating art takes an enormous amount of time and focus. I could not do art while raising my children as it led to neglecting their needs. They were always the center of my focus whether they understood that or not. They were and are my everything.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I do bold color abstract facial expressions. I do this because I want to show the world the untold stories of humanity through the lens of art and portray the eyes, and moods that I capture in photographs.

I am not sure what I am most proud of yet; maybe the fact that I STARTED the art journey in a full-time, dedicated effort. I feel that I am set apart from others because I do not often portray what is common or popular. I am spiritual in my work and I thank God for every thought He puts into my head, and stroke of paint that He leads my hand and eyes to create. There is something about a person’s soul I see when I look into their eyes. I can see pain, I can see lies, I can see suffering and that has always been my drive to show the world what others are going through. In some way, I feel I need to tell them I care… that the world is full of people who want to help you get out of whatever pain you are dealing with.

My heart is so full of stories and I have only just begun.

What do you think about luck?
Luck of the Irish I suppose! I am about 53% Irish so that phrase is so funny yet true to me.

I am lucky to have met my amazing husband! He is a leader, a pioneer of his time, and the love of my life. I can say he supports me unequivocally and he does, but it takes both of us supporting each other to fulfill our joy in one another along with our journey’s together.

Some say it is luck, others say it is faith, but what luck it was for Vanity Fair UK to find me on Instagram and promote me in their magazine this March, April, and May coming 2022. It is in the UK version and in Europe but that catapulted my confidence! Self-belief is a HUGE role in success for any business owner.

In April I was selected as one of 40 art exhibitors in a National Juried competition for a gallery in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. I am also lucky that Nashville Voyager Magazine reached out to me for my inspiring story. I would like lastly to say that whatever you may be going through, keep hope alive and focus on your dream. Take steps in the direction of your dream every day you are able!

Contact Info:

• Email: triciaCfaulkner@gmail.com
• Website: www.triciafaulkner.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tricia_faulknerArt