Tug Rice
Living with Art
Change the beat! Turn your attention to people who create and work on creative projects to lighten up the mood and inspire many others. Tug Rice is a multi-dimensional artists. He is a self-taught illustrator; he writes, composes and is even a lyricist. He is always active on theater stages around the country. Enjoy his interview with us!
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Dear Tug, Thank you for your interview. How would you introduce yourself to a new crowd such as our HocTok community? My name is Tug (it’s a family nickname and no one remembers where it came from) and I’m an actor, writer, and illustrator. I spend most of my time in New York City, where much of my inspiration comes from. Have you had mentors whose support has come handy in your various artistic endeavors? |
Photo: Deborah Lopez |
My acting professors at Carnegie Mellon prepared me for a career in the theatre so there were definitely mentors there. Since I didn’t go to art school, illustration has been a more self-propelled adventure.
Although I haven’t had a mentor per se, I’ve been lucky to have worked with great people and I try to learn something from everyone I meet.
Are there any tricks of the trade that as an actor you use to promote your writing and as a writer you use to highlight your acting skills?
When you’re acting, you determine what your character wants and then you go after it. What’s he hungry for in this moment? What will he die if he doesn’t get?
I think those questions are important for any writer (or illustrator, for that matter) to consider as well. In the end, it all comes down to good storytelling and every good story is about somebody fervently pursuing something— whether that’s love, money, ice cream, or whatever.
Writing requires you to step outside yourself and observe a circumstance objectively. That’s also a helpful habit for actors. So often we get caught up in our own track, or the track of our character, and we lose sight of the big picture. But an audience — just like a reader — sees beyond just our version of an event. Knowing how it all fits together is crucial.
Who are the contemporary composers and lyricists whose work you hold in high regard?
Adam Guettel comes to mind — I wish he wrote more because everything he does write is gorgeous. I know there are other contemporary composers and lyricists doing great work but, to be honest, I generally prefer the older stuff.
Although I haven’t had a mentor per se, I’ve been lucky to have worked with great people and I try to learn something from everyone I meet.
Are there any tricks of the trade that as an actor you use to promote your writing and as a writer you use to highlight your acting skills?
When you’re acting, you determine what your character wants and then you go after it. What’s he hungry for in this moment? What will he die if he doesn’t get?
I think those questions are important for any writer (or illustrator, for that matter) to consider as well. In the end, it all comes down to good storytelling and every good story is about somebody fervently pursuing something— whether that’s love, money, ice cream, or whatever.
Writing requires you to step outside yourself and observe a circumstance objectively. That’s also a helpful habit for actors. So often we get caught up in our own track, or the track of our character, and we lose sight of the big picture. But an audience — just like a reader — sees beyond just our version of an event. Knowing how it all fits together is crucial.
Who are the contemporary composers and lyricists whose work you hold in high regard?
Adam Guettel comes to mind — I wish he wrote more because everything he does write is gorgeous. I know there are other contemporary composers and lyricists doing great work but, to be honest, I generally prefer the older stuff.
JoJo Restaurant, NYC
Do you have any favorite New York City spots you go to unwind and get motivated at the same time?
Lincoln Center has always been a calming place for me. When the weather is nice, I could sit outside there for hours with a book or a sketchpad and never get bored.
Lately, I’ve been unwinding inside the New York Public Library. The walls of one of the reading rooms are adorned with ornate, 18th century portraits and it’s the perfect place to get lost in a project. Also, I heard Donna Tartt wrote The Goldfinch there so how could I go wrong?
You served as the Artist-in-Residence at Ace Hotel this year. What did that entail?
I just completed my residency, which was a blast. They sent me to several of the big art fairs in New York (VOLTA, The Armory, Spring/Break, Art on Paper) and on Sundays in March, I stayed overnight at the Hotel and sketched what I had observed at those fairs. The idea was to create “courtroom-style illustrations,” examining some of the spectators at those events.
Ace Hotel is a great place and I loved working there. Room service and watercolor are a winning combination.
From an illustrator’s point of view, when is the best time to experience New York in all its glory?
Everyone says autumn is the best season in New York and they’re probably right. But I think any time in New York can be inspiring, even the summer when it’s ungodly hot and everyone is miserable — lots of great illustration opportunities there. Some of my best ideas for illustrations have taken place inside a sweaty, crowded subway train. On the other hand, in the winter everyone is bundled up in fur and scarves and there’s something timeless about that, which I love.
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What is the most impressive artistic project you’ve been part of recently?
The opportunity to create illustrations for Vogue Poland has been very exciting. It’s the first time Vogue is being produced in Eastern Europe and it’s been tremendously successful. The cover of the first issue was incredible — sexy and controversial and elegant — everything it should be. I was very proud to play a small role in what was really an historic moment over there.
Can you share with us some of the dates you’ve circled in your calendar for one of your performances or events featuring your art?
On April 7th I had an exhibition of paintings opening in Palm Springs. It’s my first West Coast exhibition. It ran at Grace Home Gallery until mid-May. And then I start rehearsals for The Servant of Two Masters at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. The play, an Italian farce from the 1700s, opens June 27th and runs for a month.
What type of stories have you gravitated towards lately and why?
I read two fantastic novels recently: Evelyn Waugh’s Vile Bodies and Ottessa Mosghfegh’s Eileen. They were written 85 years apart and on different continents, and seem to have very little in common on the surface. But I suppose they are both about people trapped in bleak existences and the efforts they make to get out of those circumstances.
Ambitious characters have always appealed to me, possibly because it reminds me to keep going with whatever I’m doing.
And they’re also just really good books.
www.tugrice.com