Sahtu Press continues our new interview series with writers and creators across the globe to assist intercultural conversations on what it means to be creating in our modern times, finding our own voices, and reaching towards the outermost limits of our imagination. We interviewed the Hmong American artist Tou Her, who is exhibiting several wonderful pieces, including the amazing “Temptation” at the Laomerica 50: Democracy and Diaspora exhibit at the Minneapolis Central Library until September 27th!
An illustrator based out of Minnesota, his work focuses on promoting the Hmong culture to the new generation with an emphasis and making Hmong art mainstream. Tou Her works with various media and styles to tell his stories, and many became familiar with his work through his debut collection Diaspora.
Can you tell us a little about yourself, and how did you develop an interest in the arts?
I had always liked the arts growing up, but growing up in an immigrant household, you were told to go into the medical field. There was not enough incentive to pursue a deadend career as fleeting as the arts. I never thought I would be pursue a degree in the arts until my junior year of high school. With the new business models of Image comics, a lot of creators were able to tell their own stories and these comics pushed my enthusiasm for the arts. Reading Witchblade, Battle Chasers, and Crimson solidified my dreams to attempt a career as a comic book penciller and I applied to the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design to further my education. It was there that I found a deep appreciation into the different art techniques and industry.
What are some of your favorite things to study, and how has this influenced your approach to art?
I love to study from life and paint what is in front of me. There is so much we can learn about materials and light just from observing the world around us. These observations provide a lot of information for my illustration works to make the world more believable.
Who do you turn to for your artistic inspirations?
There are too many artists to name ever since social media popped up, but here are a few artists I turn to when I need inspiration. For fine art, I like Richard Schmidt, Jeremy Lipking, Casey Baughs, John Seery-Lester, Mian Situ and James Gurney. My illustration heroes are Doug Chiang, Gerald Brom, Frank Frazetta, and Iain McCaig.
What do you most often aim to achieve with your creations?
My hope is that my creations can tell the stories of my culture and help the viewers gain a deeper appreciation for it. To give them a visual aid for our oral storytelling.
What are some of the exciting things you’ve learned over the last year during your journey as a creator?
As much as people enjoy looking at the final product, there is an audience for art that is a work in progress. People like to peek behind the scene and see what the process is like to make art. It isn’t an exact science, so when I do show process work and the many directions a painting can go, people are very engaged in that aspect of picture making.
What would international readers find interesting about the state of Hmong and Asian American art and literature these days?
I think our international audiences will be amazed at how far we have come in the art community. With little to no support for the arts, Hmong artists have continued to push their visions in the form of ballets, plays, script writing, music, and literature. We may not be in modern galleries yet, but with Hmong ambassadors out in the mainstream, more eyes are being drawn to the community and the rich and colorful history we have. Its only a matter of time until we have Hmong artists representing in the museums.
What’s the best compliment you’ve received for your art so far?
When people say they shed actual tears when viewing my work. I never thought that my art would produce such a strong emotional connection with others and the few times I heard that makes me want to continue pursuing art and helping to connect people.
What’s one of the most unusual subjects you’ve taken on with your art?
Painting portraits is a relatively easy process. You get a picture and then draw them in a new setting. What makes this one of a kind portrait different was that there was no photo to work off of. It was my first time doing a forensic portrait of a friends grandfather who had passed away in the 70’s. I worked with the family to draw his portrait based on their memories of him and the likeness’ from his sons. This was a challenging portrait to draw but it made me feel more connected to it because of the time spent with the family listening to their stories.
What’s next for you?
This year I will be quite busy working on building my business by creating my own IP’s using stories drawn from Hmong folklore. Writing them out and illustrating them do take a chunk of my time and I hope to be able to put together a Patreon or Kickstarter to help fund my work. I will also be having a gallery show in September showcasing some new paintings. Besides that, I will be putting effort into working on my overdue children’s book and being the illustrator on other children’s book collaborations. In between these projects, I will also be preparing a new portfolio for the fantasy genre via TTRPG’s, book covers, or Wizards of the Coast. It definitely isn’t an easy schedule to keep, but I hope to continue to be creating and thriving as an artist.
You can see his pieces in Minneapolis at the Laomerica 50 exhibit, and you can find him online at his website Studio Tou (touher.com)