Meet Tranifer Lovely | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tranifer Lovely and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tranifer, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m born and raised in the woods, nestled right in the foothills of western Maine. Spending much of my childhood exploring the forest, and observing all that it has to offer, has definitely been the biggest source of inspiration when it comes to my art and brand.
And my mother is a full time artist, who has always dabbled in many different mediums, so I was fortunate enough to be raised surrounded by art, and encouraged to make my own. I never felt like a career in art was an unrealistic or unattainable goal, even when others told me it was.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work primarily in watercolors, with a bit on pen and ink thrown into the mix. I like to take the nature I am surrounded by every day, and give it a bit of a whimsical twist. I love creating landscapes with ghosts, flora and fauna defying gravity and floating together in aesthetic harmony, tiny patches of earth with tiny creatures hiding inside the moss, and even some more playful pieces, like a bear mixed with a bumblebee, or an opossum with fairy wings. I like to paint my own interests, while still to create something that appeals to my customers and collectors. I always enjoy coming up with new ideas, and I have a huge pile of sketchbooks full of ideas just screaming to be painted. I have more ideas than my two hands can keep up with, and not enough hours in the day.

Making art has always been a part of my life. And though I knew a creative job as an artist was obtainable, I felt this block like I wasn’t “allowed” to sell my paintings – imposter syndrome at its finest. In 2016 I decided to take baby steps towards doing what I wanted. I made myself a website, started sharing my work on social media, and slowly but surely I started selling my paintings (emphasis on the slowly).

In spring 2020, I took a leave of absence from my dayjob of 8 years due to health reasons. And in that time, I spent nearly every waking moment working towards making my dreams a reality. I think that time period is when my art really bumped up to the next level and became more refined. I was spending 12 hours some days just hyper focused on cranking out painting after painting. I also spent many sleepless nights researching prints and how to go about selling them, and having stickers of my art created. I got myself a nice printer, and some high quality paper, and started making prints and stickers of my own art. That is when things went from a slow trickle of business to a waterfall. I was completely caught off guard that first year, and was blown away by the amount of support and success I was able to achieve in such a short period of time.
Since then, I have grown my shop to have over 200 print designs of different original paintings I have done, a bunch of stickers, and I was even able to do a limited edition tshirt launch last year, which was a huge success, and I am beyond humbled by the fact that people love my art enough to wear it on their bodies.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take a quick drive to Portland, Maine. Though it is a relatively small and quiet city, it is a hotbed of art, music, great food, and beautiful scenery. I will never turn down an opportunity to visit Green Elephant, a little vegetarian asian style bistro right in the heart of the city. Or, if I am wanting something a little more casual, I’ll walk right down the street to Otto’s for some of the best pizza anyone will ever have. They even have a tortellini pizza! Because what is better than cheese and carbs on cheese and carbs? Since I am vegan, it is really nice to be able to have so many options. It doesn’t matter which restaurant I wind up at, there is always something I can enjoy on the menu. Then drinks at Vena’s Fizz House, which has whole slew of cocktails unique cocktails, as well as the best mocktails I’ve ever tasted, for those of us who don’t drink. It also has a super fun atmosphere that makes you feel like your grandma went way too overboard with the tacky tchotchkes and embroidery hoops. Then we’d hop on over to the warf to one of the few boat tours the city has to offer – they’re all great. You’re taken out in a ferry and given a tour of the costal area. You get to see a bunch of lighthouses, gorgeous scenery, and, if you’re lucky, some really chubby harbor seals sunbathing on rocks.

I will always end an adventure day in Portland with either a quick ferry ride to Peak’s Island, or drive over to Eastern Promenade Trail to visit the ocean, explore tidepools, and watch seagulls (controversial opinion: seagulls are the best birds).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so much love. My incredible best friend, who is my kindred spirit, has always supported me and my art right from the very beginning. And since being self employed and working from home can be a bit isolating, especially when living in a rural area, I have found a small community of like minded artist friends online who keep me motivated, even when times are tough, and I could not be more grateful for them.
And my friend Brittany, the talented creator behind of Little Green Guy, who has never once allowed me to give up on myself, my dreams, and my goals, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Website: ArtOfTranifer.com

Instagram: instagram.com/tranifer

Facebook: facebook.com/artoftranifer

Other: tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@artoftranifer