about tina j
welcome to my website. the pieces i create are designed by me - i'm self taught in graphics and in painting. i love clean, restrained, colorful shapes and lines. i celebrate babies, marriage, new homes, holidays and occasions or no occasion in particular. i've printed in my studios in nyc, los angeles and now in new orleans where i grew up. i started creating for a living in los angeles in 2001. i had worked in jewelry design, movie making and website producing, and i had had enough. i was eager to start something new.
so i learned and watched and used what i'd learned along the way. I enjoyed making hand-made cards and wrapping paper for friends. i set up shop at farmers markets. friends hosted me at trunk shows. i made my mother's wedding invitation. then two friends asked me to design christmas cards. step by step and day by day, I i started creating a new life---a life based on my creations, my decisions, my hands. and i had fascinating, eager, happy, and loyal clients.
in september 2010 i drove across country with my friend tara and 2 dogs to get back to my roots, my family, my home, new orleans. i was trying to become a mother on my own, and finally on that trip that i found out that i was pregnant. in may 2011 my daughter india was born. for two years, my design work took a back seat to the work required to mother a colicky, reflux, no sleeping baby. i am now focused on designing and painting while raising a soulful, joyful, dancing, creative little girl.
i am forever grateful for my clients who supported me early on - who trusted me with their wedding invitations and baby announcements. i watched and learned as we created invitations for 5th birthday parties and holiday cards with photos at the beach. i know there are hundreds more options for custom designed paper than there were when i started back in 2001. i tell clients who come in for appointments when they ask if i can do something specific, "i can do anything". if i don't know how, i'll figure it out and if i don't have it, i'll find it. any of the designs seen on my site can be customized in just about any way - i design specific to clients' needs and look forward to new ideas that come when creating for all of my clients.
please enjoy browsing my site and if you're in new orleans, please stop by my studio, I'd love to meet you.