"An ordinary man sees everything as a blessing or a curse. A warrior sees everything as a challenge "
There are many great artists out there, but Australian-born Pete Tillack's early life experiences have shaped his narratives on society and have helped separate him from the herd.
At 23, Tillack had finished an electrical apprenticeship and business school, and was poised to launch a small company when he decided to take what was meant to be a short European surfing trip. The couple of months turned into a decade (the time frame became blurry), and Tillack ended in California where he built a new life. The multiple passports he accumulated over those year are a testament to the experiences that helped change his life — from the giant waves of Hawaii to the longest waves in Peru, the mountains and glaciers of Alaska to the volcanoes of Reunion Island, and from the ancient hidden city of Machu Picchu to the center of the modern world - Times Square.
Along the way, Tillack's plan to become a sparky fell by the side as his aspirations and desires evolved because of the cultures and experiences he encountered. The destination was finally changed after unexpectedly being introduced into the life of creation, which proved to be the key to the challenges that drive his passion for connection and a voice.
Being a self-taught artist allowed him to draw his own lines from multiple sources, but it was the internal questions and relationship to society that gives life to his work.
"As youth falls into the past, and the present becomes the form carved by my many unique experiences, my work casts stronger meanings, as I look deeper into the connections with our society," Tillack says. "I feel lucky that along the journey, I found my talent, and it has allowed me to transpose a blank canvas into a story that captures a viewer”