Interview by Jimon

1-Where do you call home currently? St Leonards-on-Sea East Sussex United Kingdom. I have a studio on the cliff top overlooking the ocean.

2-How would you describe Michael Tierney?  Artist and Husband.

3-How long have you been making art and what lead you to start?  I have been creating for as long as I can remember. I studied fashion at college when I was 16 years old but ended up working in 9-5 retail and office jobs for many years in London and art was put on the back-burner. It was only when I moved to St Leonards in 2005 that my creative ambition was finally realized.

4-Did you study art or is it a gift?I began studying art locally at Hastings College as a mature student which had a great reputation with fantastic and knowledgeable tutors. It was crucial in my development as an artist. I went on to get a first degree in art from Brighton University.

5-It has been said art is a gift from god to make the world a better place. What are your thoughts on that?  I am a Humanist so I believe it’s up to people to make the world a better place themselves. Others are free to disagree.

6-Do you see a change in your work over the years and if so how?  Definitely. My work is always progressing. The painting I am currently working on is usually a continuation from the previous one, either a similar theme or incorporating a particular element or symbol from the one before. Although the subject or style may change slightly, I always strive to improve on my previous painting.

7-Best advice you ever received in regards to your career as an artist?  DON’T F**K IT UP! – Rupaul’s Drag Race.

8-How do you define success?Happiness.

9-There is a frog in some of your paintings and on T-shirts you have designed, why a frog?  The frog is called Salome Hopper and is based on an emblem discovered in a small town thrift store while on a road trip in the USA. This character hasn’t appeared in my work for a while (apart from on my T-shirts) but to me he represents freedom, discovery and travel. Salome Hopper is also a symbol of evolving and transitioning through the stages of one’s life. He may well reappear in my work from time to time in the future.

10-What advice would you give putative collectors?  Please buy my work so that I can afford to continue painting.

11-How would you like to be seen as an artist years from now?  As someone whose work has made someone else feel a little happier.

12-Why make art?  I was born this way – It’s necessary in my life.

13-The future is _________?  … unfortunately in the hands of politicians so we are probably all f**ked.

14-Do you have a place/person/thing that you visit for inspiration?  The beach at the end of my road.

15-If you could have dinner with 3 artists living/dead who would be at your table?Leonardo da Vinci, Frida Kahlo, John Waters.

16-Three things you can’t live without in your studio?  Paint, Music, Air.

17-How would someone find you on Social media?  Instagram: michaeltierney_artist

18-Anything else you’d like to mention that I didn’t ask?  No. I need to get on with my painting thank you. BYE!