Born and raised in New York City, **[Tafy LaPlanche](https://www.cohart.com/lepoufart)** is constantly inspired by the rhythm and heart of the city. The vibrant colors in her works reflect the pulse and energy of the people she comes across. Using a range of mediums (oil, acrylic, or charcoal), her portraits convey a deep emotion, inviting you to discover the stories behind them and the story within yourself. Tafy continues to travel the world and paint the faces of those she meets. Tafy believes that different perspectives of the world unveils something about one’s self and brings us closer together.

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##### Can you describe your artistic process? What materials and techniques do you typically use?

I am super type A, so my process begins with a lot of research. I like having conversations with multiple people and looking for a common thread that I connect with. Then it’s getting the approval of people to paint them and use their likeness. That’s actually the longest part of my process. Getting people to say yes. 
Once all the journalistic work is out of the way, I go back to my basics. Sketch, sketch, sketch. I create a mock-up of how I want the painting to be. Composition, color, all that jazz. When I’m pleased with the mock-up it goes to canvas. 

I am a traditionalist in the sense of how I mix colors and start with values. I start like the old masters but later try to bend the rules. You have to have fun with it and just see where things go. I mainly use oil, acrylic, and charcoal. I love creating while music is playing as it helps set the mood I want to be in. 

##### What themes or concepts are you most passionate about exploring in your work?

Human connection. I am always fond of those who can easily bond with others despite differences in people. Simply by being genuine. How we can unite over universal emotions and shared experiences. It drives my passion for painting different faces that I’ve come across in my life. To stay true to who I am in that moment and put my point of view of that person onto the canvas. 

When I find a commonality amongst a group of people, I enjoy exploring themes within that concept and working it into a series of portraits. It usually comes down to how one celebrates where they come from, looking for themes within that culture, and honoring it in a way that’s genuine to the people behind my paintings. If the person I’m creating a portrait of is passionate about something, in turn, I become passionate about learning about it and incorporating it into a pattern. 

##### How do your personal experiences influence your art?

What excites me and makes me feel alive always gets inputted into my work. And that’s always been people. Meeting someone new and getting to learn something deep about them. I’ve always romanticized meaningful conversations with strangers. Perhaps that’s the Scorpio in me. To me, it’s like a hunger. How something someone said to you once in a dive bar in Budapest can deeply touch your soul and alter the way you view life and yourself. It’s the trust and openness of it all that makes me so drawn to doing portraits of those who come across my life. Why it influences inviting colors and patterns in my work that share a little bit about the story. And then the viewer adds to that story and continues the conversation by what they take away from it. 

##### Who are some of your biggest artistic influences, and how have they shaped your practice?

Fellow emerging artists, simply because they are in it. Constantly creating and discovering new ways to create. Figuring out why they create. The energy of those who love being an artist despite the struggles we all go through truly inspires me to keep making. It’s helped me learn that mistakes are okay. Not everything has to be perfect. As long as you are creating from the heart and being true to yourself. And to always find the joy in it.

##### What role does collaboration play in your work? Have you collaborated with other artists or disciplines? 

The only time I have collaborated is during events. Live paintings where you work on your own thing and then switch with other artists throughout the night. I’ve done it with artists I know and those I haven’t. I quite like working on another person’s work and vice versa because it allows me to just create and not be so precious with it. I don’t get nervous over it because I don’t know nor can I predict the result. It’s a time to be free with the creative process and I try to carry that with me when I approach my personal works alone in my studio. 

##### How do you define success as an artist? What does it look like for you?

When you create as if no one was around to judge it but yourself. Because then you are creating just to create. And you arrived at the truest version of what you can put out there. Success as an artist for me is when the artist’s voice is clear and true. 

##### Can you share a specific project or piece that holds special significance for you? Why is it important?

‘_Mercury in Retrograde_’ is a piece that I won’t ever sell. It’s only the second painting in the Tafy LaPlanche permanent collection. I originally painted it with no direction. It wasn’t until I finished painting the background that I got the call that my grandmother had passed away. I never met her. But, I was always told how remarkable of a woman she was. Something told me that this painting was meant to be of her. She was among the first women of color to own a store on the Avenue of the Americas. A Haitian seamstress from Paris that sold her design to two brothers that became what we know today as the original Adidas tracksuit. 

The painting reminds me of untold stories of outstanding people in this world. And it’s my way of honoring her. It was originally gifted to my father who was an avid collector of Haitian artwork, and recently passed. The painting became a part of his collection.

##### How do you engage with your audience, and what do you hope they take away from your work?

I engage a lot in my personal life as a super extroverted person. I do not shut up once you ask me a question. However, not so much in my art life. I tend to let my art engage with my audience more than myself. I love watching people from afar set their eyes on a piece of mine for the first time. I allow that private relationship between them to form and take in that moment of reflection. There’s something quite silently beautiful about seeing how someone reacts to my work from their perspective. I’ve seen people cry, people smile, and people declare their hate over the use of a specific color. I get to take away something new that I haven’t realized before with my work. In turn, I hope that my audience discovers something new about themselves that my paintings might have helped reveal. 

##### What challenges have you faced in your artistic career, and how have you overcome them?

I stepped away from art for a good ten years or so. Before then, I used to draw every day and my skills grew. I find myself starting over again and re-learning, that my skills will regrow the more I dedicate my time to it, but that it will grow in a new way. The challenge is my negative thoughts and I have yet to overcome them fully. But, embracing who I am now and being excited about where that will lead me helps me stop chasing the old me. 

##### In what ways (if any) do you think art can contribute to social change or address current issues in society?

Art gives a perspective from an outside lens that forces you to look within. And I believe that any change you wish to see in the world starts with you. 

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Tafy LaPlanche creates art with a love for human connection, exploring culture through portraits with oils, acrylics, and charcoal.

Spotlight: Tafy LaPlanche’s Exploration of Self and Story Through Global Portraiture

Spotlight: Tafy LaPlanche’s Exploration of Self and Story Through Global Portraiture

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