During the COVID lockdown, Jess was looking for something fun to do. Little did she know it’d spark her on a year-long creative journey as Tierra Collective (@Tierra Collective).

Located on the Central Coast, Jess still creates her stunning textured artworks, inspired by nature and the world around her. From palm trees and flowers to starfish and seashells, her art reminds us of those summer days spent at the beach.

We had a chin wag with the textured artist to talk where she finds her inspiration and how it all started.

How did Tierra Collective come about?

It was a little over a year ago during lockdown. My youngest sister and I were bored and felt like doing something creative, so we pulled out some of her art supplies, went out and bought some texture paste (Mont Marte actually!) and I made my very first piece of textured art -- which I still have today.  I loved how it turned out, so I made a few more pieces. I really fell in love with the process and eventually decided to make an Instagram page to showcase my pieces. As for the name, I wanted something that was related to what I was inspired by, which is earthy textures and tones. And that is how “Tierra” came about, it's Spanish for “Earth.”

How did you discover your creativity? Was it a gradual process or a surprise discovery?

It was more or less a surprise discovery, I think. I’ve always been creative in different ways, but I’ve never been extremely talented in the art department until I experimented with textured art. The more I experimented with different designs and techniques, the more I surprised myself with what I was capable of.

Where do you look to for inspiration?

Inspiration never fails to present itself to me when I’m in nature, particularly at the beach. The different textures of sand, shells, rocks and the ocean. I try to take time to just walk along the beach without a phone or music to really take in all the things we might not ever notice when we are distracted by technology. Many ideas come to me when I’m strolling along and letting my imagination run free. 

When creating a work, do you prefer to plan it out or jump in and learn as you go?

Besides custom orders which are almost always planned out, I have a notebook full of pages of ideas and designs that I have sketched out. When I have time to sit down and create something of my own choosing, I tend not to refer to my notebook, but instead let it be more of an intuitive process and I always find my best creations come from that. 

Where do you create? What does it look like?

Let’s just say I desperately need a studio! I’m usually creating at either the dining room table, outside or in the garage. I don’t have a specific space for myself at the moment which is a little frustrating -- I just have piles of unorganised art supplies and canvases in every corner of my home. I would love to one day have a space of my own, whether it’s a little studio or a nice set up in the garage! 

Who are your creative cheerleaders?

Definitely my family, mostly my two sisters! They both have my art hanging up in their rooms. They always love to see what I’ve made and are constantly asking to keep each new piece for themselves. They’re both the ones who inspired me to create textured art to begin with!

What are you most proud of creating?

Not so much a piece I am proud of, but I am proud of myself for putting myself out there and getting out of my comfort zone to create an Instagram page and to post all of my work. It’s not something I would normally do, and it took a lot of courage, but I wouldn’t be where I am today with my art if I hadn’t.

Yes, we love that! Aside from art, what other hobbies do you enjoy?

On my days off, if I’m not working on my art, you’ll find me at the beach. I love swimming in the ocean, surfing, camping, photography, reading and cooking!

It's a Friday night and we' re coming around for dinner! What would you cook us?

Friday night is definitely homemade pizza night! Preferably with homemade dough as well!

What’s next? What are you looking forward to in the future?

Next year I’m planning on doing some local market stalls, so I’m definitely looking forward to that. I do plan on creating my own website sometime in the near future as well. I’m also just generally excited about the direction I’m heading with my style, figuring it all out and seeing where this art journey takes me!

We hope that you feel inspired by Tierra Collective. Looking for more texture? Check out these modelling paste tips or these 12 acrylic paint texture ideas.

 We’d love to see what you create, #montmarteart or tag us @montmarteart on Instagram or Facebook, so we can see it!