Meet Nick Mahshie | Artist & Textile Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick Mahshie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick, is there something you believe many others might not?
Keep things simple. I’m simply incapable of keeping anything simple or easy for myself.

I build challenges into everything I do because this excites me and leads to the most invigorating results. I have this undying belief that in order to achieve something spectacular, it’s imperative that you work like a dog to get to it. I suppose labor (often physical) is my medium, and I find arguably more satisfaction in the process than in the product. My maximalist and buoyant artwork style is achieved through an intimate knowledge of materials and their physical properties. I have a passion for fabrication and rarely outsource any aspect of my work, whether it’s woodwork, welding, printing, sewing, dyeing etc. You might trace that back to my blue collar, new-immigrant roots (my late Palestinian father was an airplane mechanic at MIA, my Polish maternal grandparents worked at a pants factory in upstate New York) – and perhaps I always felt like I had to earn my spot in this very alien art world through sweat equity.

I think that like most artists, aligning what is in my head with what I produce in its fully realized visual and physical form is like seeking the holy grail. It is elusive and ever-changing, but you still have to strive for it.
The goal-posts are always moving, which is why challenging yourself at every step of the way, questioning, analyzing, and critiquing the work in-progress – that is what yields the good stuff. My mentor and former professor Nick Cave used to say “Every artist should toss out 80% of their work” and that has stuck with me. I don’t believe in creative genius in the purist sense – just an uncompromising eye for refining one’s own work.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It’s all about persistence. I once heard an anecdote from a friend who was sitting at a bar in New York. They turned around only to find they were sitting next to Bill Murray, the actor.
His advice, in short, was that he never felt he was necessarily better than anyone else. But what distinguished his path is that he stuck with it. Those who stick with their passion long enough, they are ultimately the ones who succeed.

I wouldn’t say that my story is a successful one by any stretch. But I do believe that time and again, I’ve had to reckon with myself and ask hard questions about who I feeI I really am at my core. What brings me joy? What excites me? What’s the thing I couldn’t see myself living without?
When I really took the time to answer those questions, then the answers were indisputable. I couldn’t lie to myself, and I knew exactly what I needed to do.

This path continues to throw challenges my way, but with each challenge there is an opportunity and a lesson to learn. I have always loved the learning process- whether its understanding how international freight works, mastering a new design software, or remembering the intricacies of color theory while mixing paint.

At the end of the day- I recognize that my artwork has to align with what brings me joy. Oftentimes, it isn’t anything overtly cerebral or conceptual – rather, it’s the pure feeling of magic that color, pattern, and the whimsy of dancing shapes on cloth that provides a visceral thrill that continues to inform my creative practice.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Easy- grab some pastelitos and a cafe con leche from a ventanita. My suggestion would be to head to my hometown barrio of Westchester to get something truly authentic. If you can’t make the treck, Versailles or La Carreta in Little Havana will do just fine.
Ease your way over the beach. Virginia Key is a hidden gem where you can hang your own hammock between some native brush just feet away from the shore. I’d pack a pub sub or a deliciously fresh sandwich from Le Sandwicherie- tons of locations now, and somehow the quality remains great at all of them.
Your afternoon should include a mid-day nap, a smoothie, and a good swim in the ocean.
Miami’s culinary delights are many- but some of my favorite spots are no-frills delicious Caribbean hometown joints- Chef Creole, B &M Market, Clives, to name a few (all in the neighborhood of Little Haiti).

Finish up with a screening or late afternoon visit to the Perez Art Museum. Grab a cocktail on their deck and watch the cruise ships sail away.

Of course Miami has a great reputation for its nightlife, but as this is no longer in the cards for me with 2 young kids in my schedule – my favorite evening outing would be to catch a show at the Miami Beach Bandshell. Awesome mid-century architecture at an open-air concert venue.

For a weeks worth of activities- I’d squeeze in a visit to the Biltmore, a ride on the metro mover through Brickell, a stroll through the newest art galleries popping up in Allapattah, a quick jaunt to Wynwood to buy the sunglasses you lost, and if you have some art-gazing left in you- a visit to the Rubell and Marguilles collections. As far as cuisine goes- just keep a full stock of croquetas de jamon close at hand.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I don’t think it’s any secret that pursuing a creative path means making sacrifices. If it weren’t for the people in my life who have shown me love – whether it’s that steady, uncompromising love of family – or those fleeting but pure moments of devotion from friends who seem to have shared my vision – this devotion is an essential ingredient to my story.

My single mom raised me after I lost my father at 3. Her unwavering support, (and perhaps a little bit of her naivety about what it meant to pursue a creative career) is what set me on, and kept me on, this life journey. I was fortunate to have found a loving partner who also has shown me unwavering (mostly) support even when what I was talking about didn’t make a whole lot of sense in her mind.

Beyond that, I’ve come across numerous mentors, mostly teachers, who inspired and challenged me in ways that garnered my utmost respect. Willie Clarke, Scott McKinley, Nick Cave- these were some of the figures in my life that pushed me to strive for my best, They made me question every decision I made, dig deep into my motives, and never to settle.

Website: www.tranquiprints.com, www.nickmahshie.com

Instagram: @tranquiprints, @tranquiyanqui

Linkedin: @nickmahshie

Facebook: @tranquiprints

Image Credits
Karli Evans, Natalie Mejia, Lito Vidaurre, Sahil Sharma