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    • Interview Schedule
  • Home
  • Artists
    • Gallery Artists
  • Member Artist Exhibit
    • beth cartland 2023
    • Archive Member Exhibits >
      • Joseph O’Neill 2022
      • Harriet Sobie Goldstein 2022
      • Gretl Bauer 2022
      • Scott Wixon 2022
      • beth cartland 2021
      • Christa Toole 2021
      • Joseph O’Neill 2021
      • William C Butcher 2021
      • Gretl Bauer 2021
      • Guna S. Mundheim 2021
      • Laura Sussman-Randall 2021
      • Avilmar Maia 2021
      • Harriet Sobie Goldstein 2020
      • beth cartland 2020
      • Laura Westby 2020
      • Christa Toole 2020
      • Joseph O’Neill 2020
      • William C Butcher 2020
      • Gretl Bauer 2020
      • Harriet Sobie Goldstein 2020
      • Avilmar Maia 2019 >
        • Archive Invitational Exhibits >
          • Raktimava Ghosh Dastidar
          • Helene Ruiz
          • Vian Borchert
          • Sally Brown
          • Rachel Yurkovich
          • Antoine Janot
          • Jordan Merlino
          • Jinson Joseph
          • Lisa DeLoria Weinblatt >
            • Samantha Dominik
          • J.P. Snyder
          • J. Leigh Garcia
          • Tai Lipan
          • Azzah Sultan
          • Maryamsadat Amirvaghefi
          • Michael Marks
          • Philip Krejcarek
          • Abigail Kyros
          • Sheena Bajaria
          • bill davis
          • Sarah Jentsch
          • ZAKRIYA RABANI
          • Stephanie Garon
          • Zac Benson
          • Exhibition archives >
            • Past Interviews >
              • Gretchen Beck
              • Sherry Muyuan He
              • Guna S. Mundheim
              • William Culpepper
              • Oaklee Thiele >
                • Mayuko Ono Gray
                • Jessica Burke
              • O'Delle Abney >
                • Amy Guidry >
                  • Mana Mehrabian
                  • Marsha Heller
              • Andre Rubin
              • Ellis Angel
              • Cecilia Martinez >
                • Steven Bleicher
              • Kathleen Deep
              • Artem Ryskin
              • Patti-Anne Grabel >
                • Guglielmo Botter​
              • ​Jave Yoshimoto
              • Stephie Kate
              • Samantha Parker Salazar
              • Resa Blatman
              • Matthew Gualco
              • Mario Loprete
              • keith buswell
              • Joan Bell
              • Paul Hunter
              • Xiaojie Liu
              • Chris Perry
            • Archive
            • Past Member Exhibitions
          • David Boskovich
          • Hanna Vogel
          • Alice Stoler 1
          • Wendy Foster >
            • Rhonda Massel Donovan
          • Avilmar Maia
          • Julia Sebastian & Christy Wittmer
          • Oaklee Thiele
          • Tony Moore
          • BARBARA RACHKO
          • Jackie Lipton
          • Leah Naxon
          • Andrew Phillips
          • Jeff Schmuki
          • Kevin Schumacher
          • Rob Millard-Mendez
          • Kelly Boehmer
          • Nicole Patrice Dul
          • Alice Stoler
      • Marsha Heller 2019
      • Laura Westby
      • Dongze Huo 2019
      • Joseph O’Neill 2019
      • beth cartland 2019
      • William C Butcher 2019
      • Scott Wixon 2019
      • Gretl Bauer 2019
      • Harriet Sobie Goldstein
      • Gretl Bauer
      • Laura Sussman-Randall 2
      • Avilmar Maia 1
      • Harriet Sobie Goldstein 2
      • Joseph O’Neill
      • Dongze Huo
      • beth cartland
      • Pamela Flynn
      • William C Butcher
      • Scott Wixon
      • Pamela Bennett Ader
      • Avilmar Maia
      • Christa Toole
  • News
    • Artist
    • Collective
  • APPLY FOR INVITATIONAL ON LINE EXHIBIT
  • Contact
  • Invitational Exhibit
    • Gina Petrecca
    • Seth D. Ellison
    • Brian McSherry
    • Marshall Sharpe
    • Marilyn J. Fox
    • Maryam Khaleghi Yazdi
    • Theodore Heubein
    • Zac Benson >
      • Lorna Ritz >
        • Melody Croft >
          • Charvis Harrell
    • Marsha Heller
    • ARTIST INTERVIEWS >
      • Elaine Fleck
    • ANDREW LEVENTIS
    • Christine Olmstead
  • Schedules: exhibits and Interview
    • Member Exhibition Schedule
    • Invitational Exhibition Schedule
    • Interview Schedule



October 2010
Artist Interview
​

Oaklee Thiele


Picture
Native to Illinois, Oaklee Thiele utilizes her platform in the arts to serve as a positive advocate for individuals with disabilities, addressing concerns about accessibility and inclusivity
through written and painted works. In 2018, Oaklee was paired with a service dog, Coco, resulting in a new body of work that now discusses recovery and the intimate bond that has
formed between them. Largely influenced by her Colombian heritage, Oaklee references symbols, patterns, and the architecture present in the Tunja Mountains.
​
INTERVIEW

At what point in your life did you know that you wanted to become an artist? Did the realization emerge slowly?
In 2012 I began to express a serious interest in the arts. Not knowing how to make an arts career a reality, I started
studying under several local and established artists before pursuing a more formal education at Interlochen Arts Academy
at the age of 15.
I never thought of myself as an artist, I simply knew that art was something I must do. If I did not spend multiple hours a
day in the studio, I’d feel incomplete. My passion for the arts emerged quite suddenly but has remained incredibly
persistent.​


How did you evolve your style and favorite mediums?  
Perhaps what influences my style most is my time spent in South America, the birthplace of my grandfather. It was there
that I studied jewelry worn by the ancient tribes and was exposed to the art of weaving as well as Botero’s famous
paintings.
I enjoy creating handwoven works, ceramic sculptures, and large-scale acrylic paintings.


What are your time management techniques? Do you have regular working hours...or favorite times to work?
I work whenever possible though I prefer the early mornings or late nights. Usually, I work part-time as a teacher or in a
museum to help support my career in the arts. As a result, my time in the studio is typically scheduled around my day job.


Do you work on more than one piece at a time, or primarily just on one?
I work on a single piece at a time. My works are created in a variety of mediums from acrylic and pastel to ceramics and
weaving with dimensions ranging from 5” x 7” up to twelve feet tall. Despite the large difference in size, each piece only
takes me about one to three days to complete.


What would you say is your biggest influence -- that which keeps you working, regardless of all else, your most steadfast motivation?
In 2018 I was paired with a service dog, Coco, after being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). My
work centers around recovery and the intimate bond that has formed between us. Having Coco not only helped me adjust
to life after trauma, but also exposed me to the continuous support present in the service dog community. Looking to give
back, I began utilizing my work to raise awareness while simultaneously using my connections in the art world to create
opportunities for artists with disabilities.
My focus is now on serving the community through art and advocacy; this has been my most steadfast motivation.


Does trying something new and not knowing the rules -- the boundary pushing -- create anxiety or excitement in you?  (Or both?)
I enjoy trying something new despite not always knowing the rules. I approach all of my pieces with the knowledge that if
they don’t work out, I don't have to display them.

 
 Do you have any projects or events forthcoming? 
Most recently, I began the process of establishing a nonprofit arts organization that will provide exhibition opportunities,
education, and career development to artists with disabilities. I am fortunate to have a very passionate team of artists,
curators, business managers, and financial advisers to help make this a reality.


Oaklee Thiele
Website: www.oakleethiele.com
Email: oakleethiele@gmail.com



Picture
If All We Had Was Each Other
pastel and pencil on paper,
​19” x 25”, 2018

Picture
Coco, a Friend, and Me
pastel and pencil on paper,
16” x 16”, 2019
Picture
The Day We Met (Diptych),
acrylic on paper,
each panel 8” x 10”, 2019
Picture
You Help Me Be (Triptych)
 acrylic on paper,
each panel 8” x 10”


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