Eliza Lynn Tobin of Art Asana: New Member Interview

by Eliza of Art Asana

BH: Tell us about yourself.

Art Asana: Hello! My name is Eliza Lynn Tobin. I am a mixed media artist, yoga teacher and creator of Art Asana, the blog, etsy shop and creative business where I share uplifting and colorful artwork inspired by the life-affirming practice of yoga! I live on Cape Cod (Falmouth) with my husband and two year old dog, Tulsi.

BH: What is your background?

Art Asana: It’s been a winding road! I grew up in rural Northern Vermont and spent a lot of my childhood outside, skiing, swimming, hiking and camping. I went to college at St. Lawrence University in upstate NY and received a B.A in Fine Arts. While I was there, I had the amazing opportunity to study art abroad in both Italy and India. After I graduated, I spent four months in Western MA, participating in a yoga and leadership program at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. After that, I lived in Jackson Hole, WY for a few years, working as a nanny, a stock room manager, and a yarn store assistant. I spent one winter in Colorado working for a wilderness program for high school students and then came back to New England to teach art at a private school in Maine. I moved to Cape Cod about a year ago and began my career as a full time artist and yoga teacher!

BH: What first made you want to become an artist?

Art Asana: Growing up, I was always encouraged to be creative. My dad is an artist and has been painting full time for over ten years. From him, I saw that it was absolutely possible to become an artist and to make a living from it. I was empowered at a young age to make art and have never really stopped. I think I always knew that I wanted to be a full time artist, it was just a matter of figuring out what that would look like for me.

BH: What are your favorite materials?

Art Asana: I couldn’t live without sharpies! They are intrical to the work that I create! I also have found a new love in fluid acrylics. I used to think that I hated acrylic because it dried so fast and because of that “nails on chalkboard” kind of feel they had after they dried. But that was before I started using fluid acrylics, which are smooth and rich in color. I use them kind of like watercolors, because watering them down gives them this graceful, flowing and spontaneous quality.

BH: What inspires you? Where do your ideas come from?

Art Asana: I am incredibly inspired by the practice and philosophy of Anusara yoga. I find myself exploring themes in my artwork that I am also exploring in my asana (poses or postures) practice. Both the physical practice and the visual expression help me to understand parts of my life experience in a way that I can’t access through normal perception.