Energized by color, nature and the importance of culture, artist TK Tunchez finds inspiration in the power of resilience.
By Chantal Rice
TK Tunchez by Whitney Devin
For TK Tunchez, art is an expression of love. The artist, who launched her business, Las Ofrendas, five years ago, likens the practice of creating to a mystical experience in which she becomes the vessel, allowing the spirit to organically guide and speak through her. As a lover of maximalism, she boldly embraces more of everything in her work—color, vibrancy, decadent materials and cultural significance—yet she does so with the utmost of care and attention to detail.
Initially tapping into her artistic side by fabricating jewelry, mostly with gemstones and copper, Tunchez found her calling in “flower medicine,” creating visual-art pieces and ravishing flower crowns that captivate and embolden those who exhibit them. While her work is certainly decorative and lush, for Tunchez, it’s often guided by concepts she holds dear, like resistance and resilience.
Photo by Sheila Lopez 
Photo by Lucero Archuleta
Tunchez is also the founder and director of a local market and traveling cultural space dubbed Frida Friday ATX, which “is grounded in the belief that womxn of color artists should be amplified and supported.”
“I feel like womxn and femme-identified people are often told they take up too much space and feel the need to shrink themselves down. Flower crowns really challenge that, and wearing them kind of forces people to have to expand,” Tunchez says. “Wearing flower crowns can symbolize so much, but my favorite part is watching people embrace the idea that they are special enough to wear flower crowns at any time—because they deserve to be seen all the time.”
Photo Courtesy of Wildrice Collective
By Whitney Devin 
By Whitney Devin
“My work is grounded in my belief that adornment is a sacred practice and that color and natural elements can heal our spirits.”
TK TUNCHEZ