Tamera Mulanix, Metal Artist
I grew up in Grand Blanc Michigan, the youngest of three girls. Our personalities span the spectrum and I ended up as the tomboy. I was raised with an entrepreneurial mindset by a stay at home Mom with a bent for the unusual and a very dynamic father in the vending business.
I was a competitive swimmer until I was 15. The butterfly was my passion and I trained with an uncommon zeal. When I began to realize the limitations of my petite stature in a sport dominated by the more lofty I turned those energies toward music. I dove into choir, classical guitar and theater and was awarded a scholarship for music from Michigan State University.
My first real job was as a department store display designer. I enjoyed the creative nature of the work and discovered that I had a good eye for placement and color. I nearly became an interior designer, but instead pursued an income closer to the family business.
The next ten years were a blend of joy, hard knocks and some failed relationships. I grew into womanhood, stronger for the challenges I had faced, and am now just a little less naïve than I was in my youth.
I met my soul mate when I was 34 and together we escaped the ever-present cloud of the frigid rustbelt. Pittsboro has felt like home since the day we arrived. Living in this community has rekindled my artistic passions.
I come from a family of welders. My grandfather, my uncle and my cousins are all welders and the process has fascinated me as long as I can remember.
I studied welding and blacksmithing with John Amero at CCCC for about a year, and continue learning on my own and taking classes. It is so fulfilling to finally take my vision and make it come to life. There’s nothing I enjoy more than taking a rusty piece of scrap metal and turning into something beautiful.
I have always danced to my own rhythms and have often felt more “unique” than I wanted to be. This was difficult to accept as an adolescent, but I have begun to appreciate, and even celebrate, seeing the world through these eyes.
Through my work I try to play a small part in transitioning this divided and chaotic world toward a planet full of acceptance, love and unity. I actually see the creation of my art as a form of worship. I try to pull inspiration from the Source of our Oneness when I am in the process of creating and try to breathe that energy into each of my pieces. If I can make something that moves someone to feel a small sense of peace, or brings a bit of joy to their heart, then my life as an artist is a life well spent.
