Josh Tiessen- Hanging Out with an Art Prodigy

     Back in June, 1995, I would of been a strapping almost one year old exploring my home down in London, Ontario, Canada. While I was discovering all I could on this continent, Josh Tiessen was born thousands of miles away, in Russia. How ever slim the chances may of seemed at that time, just over eighteen years later, both of us still only teenagers, we managed to meet up with each other at The Josh Tiessen Studio Gallery, in Stoney Creek, Ontario. We had the chance to talk about the adventure his life has been so far, and the one mine has been over the past ten months or so. Before we managed to sit down for an interview, Josh (such a polite guy...) asked how I had heard of him. Well, that in itself is a pretty funny story.

     This may sound like a really high-aiming dream, but it's one I've sort of always had. I've always wanted to have the title of “Top 20 Under 20”. You may of heard of the title before, (maybe a top under 30 or 40), but it's a pretty simple one to understand if you haven't. Pretty much, you've excelled in relation to others your age in a variety of possible fields, be it science, charity, the arts, or business, among many other options. I was bored one fine evening, and quite frankly decided to look at “my competition”, or what I was up against. It was Josh's write up that caught my eye right away, and it was for a pretty random reason that I was drawn to it. His bow tie. He had a massive bow tie on, and I thought it was absolutely amazing. It reminded me of Bill Nye the Science Guy for some reason. I figured I may as well look into this guy, after all, one of my dreams was always to go into art history when I'm older. His work I saw on his website was amazing, I decided I would try to meet him. An email was sent, an email received, and I was invited down.

Nice sign, Josh! Photo by Victoria Alexander

     When I arrived at the gallery in Stoney Creek, I faced an odd problem. I had no idea how to get into the place. I did what I thought was the best idea, and called the phone number at the end of his emails to see what I should do. I was surprised when it wasn't him who answered, but his dad. I'd never had to deal with the parents of people I've interviewed, but then again, I'd never interviewed someone my age. The phone was passed to Josh, and laughing, he went to the window and pointed my way in. What a way to first meet. After meeting Mrs Tiessen and looking at some amazing art done by Josh, I sat down in a very comfy armchair, and, well, you know the story of what he first asked me, how I knew him. But my first question for him was completely different. I was really curious about him being born in Russia, and asked if his family was of Russian descent. Nope. His parents were professors there, while at the same time doing some humanitarian type work based out of the city Krasnodar, if I heard him right, by the Black Sea.

     Josh stayed in Russia until the age of six, back when I was strapping seven year old, but while I was making my way through life at Bonaventure Public School, it was in Russia that a certain Russian nanny started noticing something in the young Josh, he was enraptured in art. She held up stuffed animals and would teach the young artist lessons on perspective and dimensions, with his parents smiling to the side, I would take the nanny's lessons with a bit of a smile too, Josh was only a young boy after all. By this time in my life, I had already won a Tim Hortons art contest for colouring really, really well in the lines. I won ten dollars, so take that Josh.

     Josh then left Russia to settle down about two hours from where I was, but again, what are the chances we would meet? Around the age of ten, I moved to the country-esque community of Ingersoll, Ontario, the place I would call home until university. Josh on the other hand joined a youth club, sort of like an after school program. While doodling on a name tag, he was noticed by a local artist by the name of Valarie Jones, who felt that Josh may of had some special talents. She asked the Tiessen family if there would be any interest in her mentoring Josh for a bit after school, once a week, so she could pass on some of her knowledge to the young artist. They agreed, and since Josh was home-schooled, there was some freedom in his schedule. It worked out perfectly. She would never touch his work, only teach some side lessons or give one or two words of advice along the way. During this time, he was introduced to acrylic paint and canvas, the medium he would stick to for the rest of his career.

Josh Tiessen and his art, by Victoria Alexander

      So, as I said, I've always had a huge interest in art history. I'm a big fan of some of the artists who rose to prominence in the French Revolution such as Jacques-Louis David and Eugène Delacroix, and I've been blessed enough to see some of both of their works in person at the Louvre, in Paris. But this is about Josh, so I thought it best to ask who some of his inspirations were. I was happy to hear Canadian painter Robert Bateman was up there on his list, because I knew that those two have had the chance to work together. When Josh would visit his grandfather, he would flick through a book of Bateman paintings that was kept on the coffee table there. With these in mind, Josh himself would work on nature paintings. Then, some started telling him that his work even reminded them of Bateman's. Well, as Josh told me, it could of just been family and friends saying that to make him feel good. Regardless, he took their advice and sent an email to Bateman, with some of his work attached. Not only did he received a reply, he also received an invitation. The famed painter invited Josh, only 15 at the time, to British Colombia for a week to study under him. It was what Josh called “an amazing experience”, and I bet it was! He had his work critiqued, and some pointers or advice given. One of them being that Josh should be upping his price for his work. Well, when someone like Bateman tells you that, you should probably listen.

     Now, I've had many crazy job aspirations over the years, but I think Josh had me beat. He had two, a painter, or a NBA player. After his first art exhibit though, he realized maybe art was the route for him, and “looking back at [my] chances at the NBA, for a short, white kid, well, they were next to zero.” His first show, arranged by Valarie but prepared by Josh, was a success. It was at the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington, and the first painting sold was surprisingly to a nurse, someone he didn't even know. That, Josh told me, made it seem all the better.

     I mean, I feel that the hospital show would be amazing. But sometime afterwards, Josh heard of an online contest for young artists. You were to submit an image of a piece of art online, and try to earn as much votes as possible. The top-voted pieces would be judged, and the three winners after judging would be put on display at the National Art Gallery of Canada. Josh, highly surprised, told me that he had been one of the paintings displayed, one of the greatest experiences he's had. CBC picked up on this, and reported about the winners. But another media source would help propel Josh's career, without really knowing it. That was the Huffington Post, with their article “10 Art Prodigies You Should Know” published July 27^th, 2012. Josh, and some of his work, was listed in the article, but Josh had never referred to himself by the title “prodigy”. For those that may not know a prodigy, under one definition, is “a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional abilities”, which could be anywhere from music to math, or, of course, in art.

     The Tiessen family received a phone call from a professor researching prodigies who said she was based down in Ohio State University. She called to say she believed Josh was in fact an art prodigy, and wanted to come down to do some tests to find out for sure. After checking out her credentials, they invited her up and, as Josh told me, he's not really sure how, but in her time here she deduced that he was in fact a prodigy in art. But not just that, it was also deduced that he brother, a year younger than Josh, who excelled in music, was a music prodigy. He felt sort of weird having the title, but it did help spread his name as an artist, so it had it's benefits. Now him and his brother, Zac, are part of a study of 24 prodigies to track down just where some of these skills may have come from.

Josh and I chatting in the studio gallery (Mr Tiessen in background!)

Photo by Victoria Alexander

     Josh and I only had a short time together, but I had to ask one massive question before I left. See, I can't sit still for more than five minutes unless I have music playing (right now it's Young Forever by Jay Z feat. Mr Hudson), and I had to know, does Josh listen to music while painting? I would hope so! He paints about 8-10 hours a day, I would need at least something. He laughed and said of course he does, he loves it. Before he thought it would be a distraction, but now it helps block out all the little outside noises of a house, which I fully understand. But then, he one-upped me. He also occasionally listens to books, debates or lectures. Now that's dedication. It ranges from lectures to electronic pop, fair enough I guess.

     Next week, Josh will be down in Arizona for his first ever international art show, the the Tempe Center of Arts are part of the International Guild of Realism, in which he's their youngest member. That's pretty impressive in my books. It was great driving down and meeting Josh, and even cooler when he brought up the fact that he read my interviews before me coming, made me glad to hear.

Ever polite, as we were leaving, Josh apologized for realizing he wasn't wearing any socks (it's your house man, no worries), and laughed about what his mom called his duck feet. I know it may be random to add that last part, but I mean, those NBA teams may want to know about that before scouting the only known male art prodigy in North America, Josh Tiessen.

Josh and I in front of "Glimmer of Hope"

Photo by Victoria Alexander

     If you would be interested in seeing some of Josh's work... check out his website: http://www.joshtiessen.com/! 

Of Gentlemen and Cowards pt. 2- Road to David Letterman

      The room around me was pretty empty, furniture wise at least. I was sitting on a questionable stool, with my photographer, Victoria, to my left. To my right, sitting on an amplifier, was Simon Edwards, singer in the band Of Gentlemen and Cowards. Across from me sat Josh Dawson, bass player for the band, and to the right of Josh sat Christian Fedele, guitar player. We all just finished laughing about how strange the band coming together was, but we were only started on their adventure. A group of four guys meeting at McMaster University (drummer Jake Warren was at work) and making it all the way to performing on the David Letterman show to millions, the start of a journey that's only just beginning.

     Although I'm writing this post weeks later, listening to music played on speakers by my roommate, I feel like my time with the boys down in Hamilton was only the other day. By about five minutes into our casual interview, I decided from now on I wouldn't question an interview opinion from Victoria again, these guys were awesome. Since then, she's suggested two other interviews that I should consider, needless to say, a certain Rob and Olivia are being planned now. Anyway, the band.

     Since Josh, at first, was the odd one out, it took a short while for them to reach the level of comfort their at now. Josh and Simon I was told became (in a short while) best friends and worst enemies. I understand what he meant right away, I can name some of those for sure. Josh and Christian right away bonded over shared musical interests, where as Jake and Josh took a bit longer to form a bond. They decided make a big decision right away, something that I would think would be a challenge for a newly formed unit. It was a decision that in a way seems really obvious, but at the same time one I never considered a band taking the time to do. They had to decide the future, and see if each of them had the same idea of an “end goal”. Where the wanted the band to end up and a unit, and how much work needed to be put in to reach their goal. They told me that they all had the same goal in mind. They decided Of Gentlemen and Cowards were going to be the next The Beatles.

     Okay, so that was followed by laughter as well, from all five of us there. Obviously that wasn't a reasonable goal, or one that they have ever seriously considered. But they all agreed that if they could be musicians full time, as in earn enough money from their shows to support a life for themselves, then they would be happy. After a short few weeks of practice came January 21^st, 2011. Their first show. There was about eight people present, and it wasn't really their best. Simon dedicated a special number to his girlfriend, with a chair pulled up to her and everything. I was told they still poke fun at him for it, so, sorry Simon, had to bring it up for the other three guys.

     After that, they decided that the only reasonably thing to do was to go all out and get their name known no matter what. Between January and March they spent about $100.00 to record five songs and get the EP out like crazy. They laugh at the fact that this was their cheapest recording but their one with the most copies distributed. Man, the music industry can be a cruel. On March 5^th, after their album boom, they played a show and sold about 150 tickets, packing the place. They looked at all the faces and knew something then. It was official, they were rock stars.

Josh (left) and Simon (right) performing at Supercrawl

Photo by Victoria Alexander

     Fast forward a few months. To a show in Ottawa, with the boys ready to kick off another concert on their first tour. Some shows had an okay amount of people, then there was this show. They paid the bar owner some money to ensure that their was no cover fee for those who came to the show. They spent the whole day advertising and getting their name out, and were excited at the interest people showed. It was time to begin, and the boys were about to play their first note to the crowd. But, there was no crowd.

      Not a single person showed up.

     Who would of expected that this moment, one that would personally crush me, would be one that would help pave their future? Well, it did. It was their musical epiphany. This wasn't going to be easy, there were going to be challenges and difficulties along the way. A thing they said once or twice before meant something more in that moment than it ever had or would before. No matter how many people were in the crowd, zero in Ottawa or millions watching on Letterman over a year later, they were only ever playing for four. Simon, Jake, Josh and Christian. They played to, and for, each other that night.

     The tour ended and they made their way back to McMaster. Chris, the sociology student who doubled as a sales manager at bootlegger, Josh who was in classical music as well as his job as a barista and baker, Simon, the engineering student who did research for the university, and Jake in his sociology program were back to their hometown. Back to their busy lives. They had to plan as much practice as they could around their education (they're all serious about their academics, and school is a high priority) and their work (they're university students after all, money was essential). Simon planned their master schedule, and social life took a hit, but one thing was different... they were playing shows (even better news... people were there!). Being in school helped form a solid and supportive fan base, allowing them to play formals, coffee houses, and even formal events all the way up to their university president. Things were looking up. That was when Josh heard about the contest that would lead to the bands biggest achievement to date.

Every band needs that one cover. (L to R): Josh, Simon, Jake and Christian.

Photo used with permission of Simon Edwards.

     As Josh described it, “I was on a site that gives bands opportunities to submit stuff.” Thanks Josh, elaborate. One contest he entered was related to a lower-budget movie called simply “We Made This Movie”. If your song received the most votes, it would be in the background of one scene. It was called the “Red Bull Sound Stage Choice Competition”. There were about 2000 to 3000 applicants, so he really had no care about the results. In the very fine print there was a memo, the winner would perform on their song The David Letterman Show. Still, it wasn't something Josh noticed. The band was really busy at the time, so they decided not asked people for votes. As one could guess, there weren't chosen by number of votes, and their slight chance was over. Then, they got an email.

     The producers of the movie had their twenty songs picked, but they also decided to choose another four songs from the entries to be in the movie as well, out of the remaining songs that were unsuccessfully voted in. Among them, the Of Gentlemen and Cowards song (one of my personal favourites) Save Me. That wasn't all, the boys found out they now had a one in twenty-four chance of a trip to New York. Now their thought processes changed. They had to be on Letterman.

     They took off with their voting plee to their collection of fans, Simon even taking time off work to be able to Facebook message anyone he could. Trying to be as successful as possible, they named their voting plee “Get McMaster on Letterman”. It was now up to their fellow university students to help them win their contest anyway they could. Tweets went out and statuses shared. They became stressed, under-slept, and cranky.

     They were in first, then fell to second. It was back and forth fighting for the last few days of the contest. Desperate times called for desperate measures, they reached out to celebrities via Twitter. It was the last thought they had as a last ditch effort. In the last twenty minutes of voting, they received a tweet from Dallas Green telling people to vote for them. They then received retweets from champion hockey player Hayley Wickenhesier and television host George Stroumboulopoulos. They thought they were in first, after not checking for a while, with twenty minutes to go. But within those twenty minutes of the contest remaining, the website for voting went down. They didn't see who was in first, they had no idea if they made it or not. An email was received.

     The winner would be announced in four days.

A photo of the boys meeting Letterman, courtesy of Simon Edwards.

     It's hard to draw the suspense out when I told you earlier that they did in fact have the chance to play at Letterman, but I tried, hope you it was thoroughly suspenseful! They won! They were going to perform on Letterman!

     They were flown down to New York and escorted around in shiny black escalades. They were rock stars after all! This was their second musical epiphany as a band. Their fans came together and helped them win an amazing opportunity. Their fans. Maybe they could make it after all.

     The boys think they broke a record, “the only band to grace the Ed Sullivan theatre with less than 1000 Facebook likes, or even a manager.” Walking in, and during sound check (during which they had the chance to jam with Paul Shaffer, leader of “The World's Most Dangerous Band”, providing the music for the Letterman show since 1982. As they were about to walk on stage, they looked at their Facebook page.            They made it, their 1000^th “like” on the page.

     Ya. These guys were rock stars.

     With excitement, they reminded each other their motto. No matter who was watching, they were playing to four. They were playing to Simon, Josh, Jake and Christian.

     They saw their cue, and made it to the stage.

     Months later, I said goodbye to the guys, with the plan that we would keep in touch. Weeks later, I'm here finishing up their interview. On my iPod, I have a song playing called “Save Me” by a group of four guys from Hamilton, Ontario. A group of four guys who randomly met at McMaster University with big hopes. A song played live on the David Letterman show.

     Believe it or not, as much as Letterman was amazing, another part of their collective journey stuck out as a highlight. A certain type of fan. One who wasn't one of their friends, one who wasn't family or even a friend of a friend. Their highlight were the fans who were actual fans. Ones who gave them the time of day, the applaud and the cheer solely for the sake of musical merit.

      I found out Victoria was one of the first such people, and I'm glad she helped me get the chance to meet the four guys from Hamilton. The soon to be bigger than The-Beatles, Of Gentlemen and Cowards.

With the band. Hopefully we meet again!

Photo by Victoria Alexander