Madeleine Tonzi
Spotlight
An online initiative featuring our favorite artists alongside a small collection of their works.
curated by and available through Skye Gallery.
Madeleine Tonzi, Soft Gravity, 2022.
THE Work of Madeleine Tonzi
“My work is deeply personal, in that I source a lot of my imagery from my own experiences growing up in New Mexico and living in California for an equal amount of time. I consider the topic of climate change often within my work, and I strive to offer a soft and calming space for the viewer to contemplate their own relationships to the land.” — Madeleine Tonzi
Photo by Shaun Roberts, courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary.
SKYE GALLERY (SG): Tell us about your creative process
MADELEINE TONZI (MT): My creative process is as much inspired by my experiences and memories as it is informed by the process itself. One idea will flow into the next. An element or technique that appears in one painting, will often be the inspiration for the next painting or body of work. I source much of my imagery from my own memories, and allow the fragility of memory to inform the abstractions within my work. I take an intuitive approach to creating my compositions, and rely on on a combination of pencil sketches, digital drawing, adventure and experience to inspire each work of art.
SG: What inspires you to start creating? How do you stay motivated in your studio?
MT: The best way to start creating is to jump directly into the creative process, however that can look different from day to day. Sometimes, I am so excited to explore an idea, that it comes with ease. Other times I need to take a walk first, make sketches, or even allow some degree of “productive procrastination.” Most importantly, when I have a big project, I try to create structure for myself by scheduling dedicated studio hours. This keeps me motivated and in a creative headspace.
SG: Tell us about your artistic journey. Why and how did you become an artist? Where are you from? Tell us about the lifetimes you've lived before this one.
MT: I have been an artist my entire life. I had the great privilege of being born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a city that is bursting with creativity and is the third largest art market in the nation. I started taking art classes with a nonprofit art organization called, Fine Arts of Children and Teens, when I was seven. At the time, the art classes were located in a yellow warehouse situated across the street from newly built contemporary art space, SITE SantaFe. I was exposed to thought provoking art at a very young age, as well as an environment that fostered a true sense of belonging and care. I was keen to the pedagogic practices of the art classes as well, which inspired me to later pursue a degree in arts education.
After high school, I moved to California. I attended Santa Barbara City College, where I studied art and interned at the Atkinson Gallery located on campus. I then transferred to California College of the Arts, where I received my BFA in Community Arts. I have since fostered my studio practice as a painter and muralist.
Being an artist isn’t easy, but it is the most rewarding life. I have the true honor of knowing and meeting so many talented artists and change makers. I get to travel and experience life through a creative, intellectual and colorful lens, and it’s an experience I carry with gratitude each day.
SG: Tell us about these particular works and how they came into being.
MT: I create body’s of work in which each piece is an extension of the other. I am attempting to capture a mood or emotion that an ephemeral moment or memory instills in me. These paintings were each created with that premise in mind, expressing the softness of mountains when they are floating in a sea of clouds, or a road I haven’t yet traveled, and the organic desert sculptures created by a constantly shifting world. They are the visual culminations of emotion and experience combined.
SG: What's your favorite morning routine, night routine or pre-art making routine?
MT: My favorite morning routine consists of drinking a hot cup of coffee and sitting with my plants before I start my day. I’ve have a small collection of Euphorbia and cactus plants. I love collecting pots for each one and staging them with rocks I’ve collected. It’s become a creative hobby outside of painting that I find really cathartic.
SG: What are you working on now?
MT: I have a couple of murals that I am preparing to start in the coming months, as well as a group exhibition in March with Hashimoto Contemporary SF. I am in the beginning steps of preparing for a two person exhibition taking place in August of this year, with Hashimoto Contemporary NYC. I am really looking forward to sharing more details as we move closer to the opening.
SG: What are you reading or listening to right now?
MT: I like to listen to podcasts, audio books and music while I work, depending on my mood. I like anything thought-provoking and compelling. If it informs my work, then that’s a bonus. Some of the podcasts I like to listen to include For the Wild, Hidden Brain, The Daily, The Ezra Klein Show, and This is Love.
One of my favorite authors is, Rebecca Solnit. I love good storytelling and investigative journalism. For fun though, I’m currently reading Nobody Told Me Anything by Rachel Finley, on paperback.
SG: Anything else you want to tell us?
MT: I am so grateful for this humble artist life, and to all of those who continue to support the arts. It’s a vital part of existence, culture and survival. Thank you!
View the Collection
About the Artist
Madeleine Tonzi is a Los Angeles based painter and muralist. Her work responds to the tensions and contradictions between the natural and built world, while exploring concepts of memory, place and the environment. Tonzi uses soft color palettes in contrast with organic and architectural forms that articulate an emotional response to such subject matter, with the intent on creating a calm space for the viewer to contemplate their own relationship to the ever-changing world around them.
Born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Madeleine attended California College of the Arts, where she received a BFA in Community Arts with a focus on studio art and screen printing. She lived in Oakland for fifteen years where she developed and honed her artistic practice, and has recently located to Los Angeles, where she works from her studio in Glendale. Madeleine is represented by Hashimoto Contemporary, and exhibits work at their three locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.
Past Exhibitions:
1A Projects Design Showroom
February 17 - April 15, 2023
Intersect Aspen
August 1 - 4, 2023
