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Page 1 of 2 From BIGMEDIAUSA.com Article Includes Radio Interview with Los Angeles radio personality Gary Spears.
A graduate of the Institute of the Arts in Seattle, where he studied art and design as well as architecture, Randy Tat set off to hitchhike across Europe with $1,000 in his pocket and no credit cards. After breaking his leg on the Greek island of Corfu, he was forced to rely on his abilities to survive.
“I took what was left of my money and bought paint, canvases and brushes,” he said. Selling his paintings on the beach and train stations, where he slept at night, he learned he had the determination and power to do anything, if he set his mind to it.”
Specializing in mixed media, including water colors, oils, pastels, pencil and acrylic, using oversized, 6 ft. x 5 ft. canvases, Randy’s “Tat on the Wall” multimedia exhibits have been shown at prestigious galleries such as the Blueprint and King Road Art Galleries in W. Hollywood, The Art Gallery in Beverly Hills, The Studio in Sherman Oaks, the Retrospective Galleries in La Jolla and San Diego and the Matsky Gallery in Seattle, WA.
Tat works in geometric, abstract graphics and collages, with moving shapes and pieces, presented in a three-dimensional setting with a depth, substance and intrigue emphasizing his architectural studies. He has sold more than 150 individual pieces to collectors, along with countless commissioned works. His limited edition ‘90s lithograph, “Living on the Ceiling,” sold 250 out of 300 in the series.
An avid flea market enthusiast, Tat has also contributed pieces to the last three years of the Beverly Hills, CA-based Zimmer Children’s Museum “Show and Tell” fund-raising exhibit for youTHink, the innovative art and education program serving public school students throughout California. In 2005, Randy took off on the show’s “clock” motif with “Timey the Clown,” a retro design that evoked Tat’s love of the circus in the ‘40s and ‘50s, a recreation of a traveling steam trunk which employed the graphic style represented by his collection of 75 vintage posters from the ‘20s to the present.
For last year's “Show & Tell,” dubbed “The Art of Harmony,” Tat created “Tutto Flauto,” a flute that he transformed into a stunning silver candelabra which once adorned the halls of the majestic 15th century Odescalchi Castle overlooking Lake Bracciano outside Rome, Italy. The piece is embellished by a series of jeweled accessories, including turquoise, mother of pearl, baroque pendants, briolettes, lavender quartz, iridescent jewels and vintage musical charms. The three-tiered work, valued at $1,500, keeps the flute as its center core, attached to the rest of the piece without welding or soldering.
One of the characteristics of Tat’s art is his ability to create elaborate mythologies and back stories for his works. For “Timey the Clown,” he played the title character himself, taking photos wearing the costumes and make-up included in the trunk, while “Tutto Flauto” was set against the fictional Italian castle on the lake.
This year for the "Show & Tell" THE ART OF VISION" EXHIBIT, he offers a glimpse into the origins of Pop with “Pop It, See It!” a six-foot tall, coin-operated set of binoculars that you would see at any tourist scenic viewpoint around the country. The piece is made of vintage tin, recycled wood, metal and found objects, hand-painted with acrylics and oils, incorporating framed images by Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Peter Blake, Robert Rauschenberg and Oyvind Fahlstrom. Just pop a coin in the slot and push the red button as flashing tractor lights blink, crystals hanging from silver industrial chains add to the dizzying high, while the attached pill box advises, “Take one tablet a day for vertigo.” Peer inside the illuminated shadow box through a looking glass of fluttering butterflies, flying nuns, mirrored disco balls, Elton John goggles and altered hologram images reflecting Pop as a lifestyle, cultural movement, generational community and artistic phenomenon. “If dizziness continues, please call your doctor.”
"Everything is recycled, and made up of found objects discovered at Inland Empire and L.A. area flea markets," say's Tat of the piece, which is valued at $10,000. "I am very honored to be chosen to participate in this prestigious show, which also benfits and important cause," say Tat.
Tat, who also founded the Tag My Space website www.tagmyspace.tv, which offers design solutions and ideas on a modest budget for his interactive online community, with the mission to “turn reality into your own personal fantasy-- reinvent, recreate and redesign your style... Make it your own! Define your space on a shoe string budget. Make it happen for yourself and your environment." “My mission is to transform an ordinary room into a magical, fantasy, a self-created refuge from the everyday using objects that can be found anywhere,” he says of Tag My Space, “while utilizing the expertise of users to foster a dialogue and offer unique solutions to their peers.”
Tag My Space is not just a concept, but also a way of life for Randy Tat, whose expertise is to “accessorize, personalize and transform your lifestyle” through a personal flair and everyday, inexpensive objects. Negotiations are currently underway for a TV version of Tag My Space, with an online video version currently in production and podcasts available on the site. An avid flea market enthusiast, Tat, whose “Tat on the Wall” www.tatonthewall.com multi-media fine art has been exhibited in galleries in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Sherman Oaks, La Jolla and San Diego. A self-styled “renaissance man” who loves to paint, design and cook for his wife and children, Tat is currently working on “Tag You’re It!,” an online competition hosted from the L.A. Flea Market that can currently be seen on www.tagmyspace.tv and YouTube, and is currently being pitched as a television show.
Recently, Tat has turned his attentions to his talents as an interior designer. His work on his own child’s room was recently featured in a five-page spread in Romantic Homes magazine and on Style Network’s “Homes with Style” segment. His specialty is “Weekend Makeovers” of rooms specific to an individual’s style, utilizing unique themes and accessories with a budget anywhere from $3,000 to $50,000.
“I try to create environments that provide a relaxation and calmness that can take us away from the hectic complexity of modern life,” says Tat. “I like to create surprises within my design concept, but I try to strive for balance and visual details, with an eye toward spontaneity. I want my client to be blown away with what I call the WOW factor. They should wake up and smell the jasmine as they drink their coffee to the humming of birds.”
At present, Tat is working on new paintings for an upcoming art exhibit, which he describes as “geometric, modern, with some vivid surprises… great contrasts, juxtaposition, interesting shapes and forms, layers of mystique.” He’s also developing a style show for TV and working on several design projects in L.A. and Palm Springs.
“I have some really exciting challenges ahead which I’m really looking forward to,” he says. “I believe we have to constantly be aware of who we are and where we’re going and what we need to do to achieve our goals, professional and personal. I want to share my art and soul with whoever is willing to take a chance, listen and watch. Maybe we can both learn something. I’m styling my future as I sit here and create.”
He has recently appeared as a guest talking about his work on Radio Disney, KLOS in Los Angeles and ESPN. Listen
Tat, who is married with two children, has another career as a film and TV executive for CFP Productions on the Paramount lot. Starting as an NBC page, he then went on to Fox Broadcasting Company and the Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group. For more: Randy Tat - CFP Productions Bio
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