Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Walters.
Tara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a painter, I began exploring alternative painting techniques while I was living in Savannah, Georgia, attending the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). This exploration led me to painting with fire for around five years until I made my way to ArtCenter. I was hesitant to continue painting with fire in Los Angeles where Angelenos have to deal with wildfires. When I thought about how I can continue using alternative techniques here in Los Angeles, I decided to go to the ocean. It took me about a year to really understand how to use ocean water in painting, but once I saw the ocean crystals drying all over my Pasadena studio floor, I knew that I found a pathway forward. The entire floor was covered in natural glitter all from the Pacific Ocean.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, it was not the easiest time figuring out how to adjust my concept of using natural phenomenons in painting. My fire – smoke paintings – were really special and spectacular and held the energy of life within the works through the movement and variations of layers and gradients that were built onto the canvas from the flame. Knowing that my new home has had enough of smoke, I had to think of how to use another natural element. I think I had a bucket of ocean water in my studio for months. The problem was I was sparingly using the ocean water and that is not what the ocean is – it is grand and it is massive and to understand its beauty, you really have to work with a large amount. It was the same with fire. You can’t work with a small flame, it has to be a pretty large flame to create billows of smoke. Using the ocean water led me to exploring and understanding watercolor methods, along with the crystals that were forming onto the canvas from the ocean water. The works have a glow that looks otherworldly. A gentle reminder that Earth is also a part of the cosmic Universe.
Please tell us more about your art.
I am a painter now. I once was a performing artist under the pseudonym ‘FaeryTeeth’ where I would play electronic fae ethereal music with multiple electronic instruments, and would layer my voice with a vocal looper. Towards the end of last year, I began introducing FaeryTeeth into my new find artist world. I believe the two can live together but I’m not quite sure how just yet. I am a large scale painter now, who specializes in working with the elements to create natural phenomena into 2D. I don’t know many other people who work with the elements like I do, and if you know any, please introduce me. I would love to make some similar friends! One of my proudest moments was being chosen to be in Nashville’s permanent collection at their City Hall and Courthouse. They recently had a fire in the building due to the George Floyd protests. I feel like my smoke painting, which is permanently next to the Mayor’s Office door, will be a daily reminder to whoever occupies the position of the 2020 Civil Rights Movement.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see the art-world changing along with the rest of the world. We are going through a massive shift in consciousness to be more diverse and inclusive, while also incorporating technology into our daily lives. Now, anyone can post something onto the internet and anyone in the world can see it within a second. This was not the case 15 years ago. People were not using the internet on such a massive level and no one had a smartphone. Now, I use my iPad to take photos of paintings and draw on top of them with their markup paint tools. I am constantly able to draw and paint anywhere with just a smartphone or iPad. These inventions have led to a boost in numerous creative opportunities and tools for more people to follow their dreams and achieve their goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tarawalters.com
- Email: tarawalters.art@gmail.com
- Instagram: @tara__walters
Image Credit:
All paintings were created by Tara Walters either using pacific ocean water or fire
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