A cornerstone of Tina Mullen’s work is the act of creating art atop materials that she discovers or that were given to her. It could be a topographical map, a nautical chart, or a scan of a letter. The marks, the age of the paper, slight rips or tears bear witness to a past unknown to her. In her work, nature is the vehicle for telling stories.

Mullen spent her week-long artist residency at RTPI exploring the art and correspondence collections. While looking for stories on how different individuals experienced the joys of birding, her research revealed that birding can is an active pursuit of discovery that often spills over into other interests and issues. In response, she created several artworks, through which she raises questions about retired terminology such as “flesh-colored”, used in pre-1950 Peterson guides to describe the beak hues of various birds. Another artwork features erased sections, which draws attention to declining bird populations and asks the viewer to consider our role in the consequences of climate change and to seek solutions. In an homage to Roger himself, another of Mullen’s artworks is superimposed atop a 1905 topographical map of the Jamestown area and portrays birds she heard in the Peterson Preserve during her residency.

Tina Mullen. Whose Flesh IV. 2024, gouache, colored pencil, graphite on paper.

Check out Tina’s website HERE.

Tina Mullen is a visual artist currently living in Atlanta, Georgia. For 31 years she held the position of Director of UF Health Arts in Medicine – a program that brings the arts to patients and families struggling with serious illness or injury. She currently serves as Visiting Faculty for the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine. She has been a drawing instructor at Santa Fe College and the University of Florida, as well as Interim Director of the University Galleries at UF. She has exhibited her work throughout the United States and has received numerous awards including the Individual Artist Fellowship from the Florida Department of Cultural Affairs. She has also been a visiting artist at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida and the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming. Mullen has a BA from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. She studied abroad at the Cleveland Institute of Art Program (now SCAD) in Lacoste, France, and has an MFA from the University of Florida.