Halie Torris: A New Take on the Female Gaze
Painter Halie Torris embraces the female form in her symbolic portraits of women. Drawing inspiration from her own life experiences, Halie weaves personal moments into each narrative she creates. Through her work, Halie aims to increase visibility for queer women, who have historically been underrepresented in art history. Using body language to communicate deeper thoughts and emotions, Halie’s paintings invite the viewer to contemplate the duality of pain and joy.
Tell me about your background and where your creative journey began.
My creative journey began in middle school when I learned how to paint with acrylics in art class. I grew up playing basketball and being involved in sports, yet art was something that I chose for myself. It was an escape and something that truly felt like my own. My favorite subject to paint at the time was the ocean which seems to have travelled with me as time has passed. I started with landscapes and then shifted to portraiture and painting women. I was always drawn to the female form and morphing it with the natural elements. Later on, in college, I learned how to paint with oils and have not looked back since.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I find inspiration through my daily experiences and the softer moments in life, like having a glass of wine, enjoying a morning sunrise and laughing with someone you love. Along with that, I’ve realized that I often create from pain, yet just painted a piece inspired by pure joy, “golden hour.” I love duality. I’m often inspired while doing things that have nothing to do with painting - when I’m just living my life and being out in the world. I am inspired when I’m spending time with those I love and surrounding myself with nature - specifically being by the ocean. I’ve always felt drawn to it ever since I was young.
Recently, since quarantine, music has been a primary source of inspiration for me. I am drawn to narratives in lyrics and the way that music can transport you into another dimension. I think of my pieces as extensions of those narratives through my own lens of experience. Taylor Swift has had a huge impact on my work since lockdown. Her music breathed a new creative life in me it seems… I can’t quite pinpoint why, but I’m still creating from her words and melodies.
How has your work shifted and evolved over time?
My body of work has shifted and changed as I have done in my own life as time has passed. I like to think of my work as a visual diary. I’ve always done a lot of self-portraiture and there seems to be a consistent link to that style of storytelling within my work. I always include a narrative figure that is somehow telling a story with how she is positioned and the symbols that are used within the composition. As I’ve come into myself, my mission has shifted from just my own lens to the lenses of others as well. I aim to create a voice for queer women to love openly through painting from the female gaze. My goal is to have them see their stories represented in the fine arts where I’ve seen a gap throughout art history. As I’ve grown more comfortable sharing my own story, I see my works opening up in the same way to provide the visibility that I’ve always needed. There’s also an anonymous quality to my work that excludes facial features. I like to rely on body language to communicate the message entirely.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?
A typical day can be completely different depending on what I’m working on. I used to think that I would only be painting throughout my day, drinking coffee and sitting on the beach…which has completely changed as my art business has grown! (Haha) I now do bookkeeping, admin work and market my paintings on social media through video content. I could be filming a TikTok, planning a print release or simply taking some time to come up with new concepts and ideas. Also, resting… which has always been a bit hard for me to do!
I’ve learned that keeping my morning routine and taking care of my health and sleep is ideal for my creative energy. I also meditate and journal for my spiritual health. The biggest shift I’ve made is taking control of my finances and not shying away from the word “taxes” and making money through my practice.
Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?
I would say accepting my sexuality and my truths to connect in the deepest way with others. I was hiding parts of myself for so long that I felt closeted within my own art practice. Coming out has allowed me to be free with my subject matter and convey ideas that connect on a much deeper level.
Moving away from home and to the coast has also impacted my work exponentially. It has given me space for spiritual growth and enabled me to come into myself in a new way. Meeting new people and also living on my own has transformed different areas of my life and naturally flowed into my work as well.
How has Instagram impacted your art career?
In every way. It has opened up so many new connections and relationships that I could have ever dreamed of. It’s helped me to connect with new collectors and artists from all over the world. It’s also influenced me to try new platforms like TikTok which changed my life. Both of these platforms have allowed me to step into art full-time through selling on my website and creating connections through sharing video. Video is my thing and I love to create them - it’s allowed me to connect two forms of art-making: music and painting.
What are your future goals and aspirations?
My goals are to continue sharing my paintings and process on these platforms and evolve as the world does too. I would love to share my work in person and have a solo show with my larger-scale paintings. As much as I love social media, there is nothing like seeing paintings in real life. There’s depth, texture and power in seeing the strokes up close and being in close proximity to the piece itself. I also want to grow my podcast platform and continue to create a voice for those to love whomever they wish to. The current world is pretty unpredictable and I am practicing staying open to whatever comes through for me.
Follow Halie on Instagram: @halietorris
Website: www.halietorris.com