I caught up with fellow Philly 360° Creative Ambassador and visual artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh. If you’re unfamiliar with Tatyana, she is an incredibly talented visual artist who transforms the canvas into realistic renditions of people covering everything—from music artists like Erykah Badu to telling stories of the struggles and issues in our country and the world.

I posed 20 questions to her for us to find out what she is currently working on and to also dig a little deeper to get to know her more. Find out her guilty pleasure, her current projects, where she shops for paint and more. 

Insider tip: If you get a chance, check out her time-lapsed videos of her painting.

Q+A

Flygirrl: What are you currently working on?

Tatyana: I recently finished a painting series called Get Angry. It's about the protest movements that have happened around the world in 2011. You can check it out here. Now, I'm working on putting together an exhibition for Get Angry, while also working on a new series of portraits. 

Flygirrl: What’s your favorite kind of paint?

Tatyana: I work with oil paint. The brand doesn't matter as long as the paint is rich and oily. Lately, I've been on a gold acrylic kick. Inspired by Gustav Klimt, the background for a lot of my recent paintings has been a flat gold. 

Flygirrl: If you didn't paint, what other career would you like to pursue?

Tatyana: If I weren't a painter, I probably would have picked up some other artistic activity like acting or dance. I think there's a performer somewhere inside of me, and I would explore that more if I weren't a painter.

Flygirrl: Who is your favorite Philadelphia visual artist?

Tatyana: One of my favorite Philly artist is Joshua Mays. He's a really fantastic painter. 

Flygirrl: What art store do you frequent most?

Tatyana:

I go to Dick Blick. It's a huge store so they usually have whatever I need.

Flygirrl: What is your last completed piece of art?

Tatyana: I just finished a portrait of Questlove. I sometimes make videos of myself creating a painting from beginning to end. Chris Conway and I just made a video of me doing this Quest piece.

Flygirrl: Who is your favorite DJs?

Tatyana: Jazzy Jeff and Rich Medina, definitely.

Flygirrl: What is the last party that you went to?

Tatyana: The last party I went to was The Bounce. It's by far my favorite party in Philly.

Flygirrl: What are the last 3 songs played on your iPod?

Tatyana: Bjork "Amphibian", Big K.R.I.T. "Made Alot", Jose James "Love Conversation".

Flygirrl: What is the last album that you bought?

Tatyana: I still buy CDs. The last album I bought was Prince's Around The World In A Day. As for new music, I've been listening to a lot of stuff lately just by streaming it online while I work. 

Flygirrl: Where are you from?

Tatyana: I'm originally from Oklahoma City, OK. I'm half Iranian. My dad was from Tehran, Iran - that's where the last name comes from.

Flygirrl: What is your favorite part of town in Philly?

Tatyana: I like my neighborhood a lot. I'm in South Philly, around Passyunk. 

Flygirrl: What restaurant did you last eat at?

Tatyana: I had brunch at Green Eggs Cafe around the corner from my house. They have red velvet pancakes. Red velvet pancakes! 

Flygirrl: What’s your guilty pleasure?

Tatyana: Basketball Wives.

Flygirrl: What is your favorite website to visit?

Tatyana: Visit Netflix and TED a lot. 

Flygirrl: What is your proudest accomplishment?

Tatyana: I've had some really cool moments. It's great to have people who's work you admire and respect feel the same way about your work. I feel like some of my favorite "accomplishments" have simply been recognition from some of my favorite musical and visual artists. A nice accomplishment in 2011 though, was a commission from the Oklahoma State Supreme Court. It was a huge painting, and I'm from Oklahoma, so it's pretty dope to have a painting that will be on display in such a distinguished space for years to come.

Flygirrl: Where can we find your work?

Tatyana: You can find my work on my site tlynnfaz.com. You can find me on Twitter and Tumblr.