/SECRETS FROM BEYOND:
COMBINING CRAFTS TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN

A project that has been a dream of mine for a while now is to create limited edition collections of spirit board and planchette sets. With this grant, I set out to design, cut, illustrate, screen print, and add unique hand-painted embellishments to limited edition sets of intricate spirit boards and planchettes. They can be interacted with and are functional, or displayed together with a special attachment piece to connect the planchette to the board in an intentional, artful way. While I have been an artist and screen printer for over a decade, until this grant and working on this project I have not been fully able to explore the woodworking aspect.

My work focuses on bringing light to the strange and unusual in a whimsical way, with deeper symbolism rooted in being enchanted with the natural world around us, and finding a connection to death and the unknown in a meaningful, non-frightening way. I have always had a fascination with the occult and the tools they use, and the symbolism in them. To me the boards represent our need to reach out and communicate with the unknown, and the question of what really lies beyond the veil.

My eventual hope is to also incorporate this new woodworking skill in other projects involving custom painting panels, and intricate framing for stained glass works. For me the greatest reward is being able to explore my mediums and push their boundaries, seeing what I can combine to create new ways of working.

Tia Kinsman

Tia Kinsman is an artist and screen printer with a fondness of fantasy, the macabre, nature, and art nouveau. Exploration and personal interpretations of legends, fairy tales, and various religious mythologies or the occult are prevalent themes in her works. Bugs, skulls, and other flora/fauna are predominant subjects and heavily used as both symbolism and decoration and are a constant source of fascination. She enjoys using multiple mediums from screen printing, to pen and ink, as well as watercolor and gouache painting, stained glass, and even woodworking. Combining these mediums in various ways has been an exciting prospect that she is slowly beginning to experiment with.

Born and raised in Central Massachusetts, her interests outside of creating include lurking in old cemeteries, fusion belly dance, renaissance faires, reading, and hiking. She has her partner, two bunnies, some carnivorous plants, and a hoard of skulls as studio mates.

Her current career goals are working towards developing relationships with galleries and exploring the field of freelance illustration on top of growing her own small business of selling her works in person and online. She has an associates in Fine Arts and has mentored under Marc Scheff and Scott Fischer via SmArt School.

Crow Skull Study

gouache, watercolor, and pen and ink on Stonehenge paper

11″ x 8″

2023

Crows are often seen as familiars, or death omens. They are the eyes of Odin, and they see all. I was inspired by psychopomps and the idea of crows being messengers of the dead, able to carry last sentiments back from beyond the veil. This painting is a study painting for my Secrets from Beyond spirit board. I wanted to explore the colors and practice drawing the elements before committing to the final board illustration.

Halloween Planchette

gouache and screen printing on birch wood

5.5″ x 4.5″

2022

These planchettes were the first experiment in trying out the process of cutting the pieces out of the wood, as well as screen printing and painting on them. At the time of creation I was working on my 2022 Halloween collection and felt inspired to bring that subject to my first planchette, to add some whimsy and excitement to the work. I wanted to test the process before committing to the larger board set, should any issues arise.

Mandrake Root Study

gouache, watercolor, pen and ink on Stonehenge paper

11″ x 8″

2023

The mandrake is a medicinal, hallucinogenic, mysterious plant known for being a part of many rituals, including witches ointment and lifting the veil to communicate with the dead. This painting is a second study painting for my Secrets from Beyond spirit board. I wanted to explore the colors and practice drawing the elements before committing to the final board illustration.