Tara Esperanza
Painter based in Oakland, California
ABOUT
Tara Esperanza earned a BFA in Painting and graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. In addition, she studied plein air painting in Brittany France. Tara was born and raised in Massachusetts. Inspired by the light and landscape, she later moved to Santa Fe, NM. She now resides in Oakland California where succulents grow all year long. Tara has exhibited her paintings in galleries throughout the Bay Area, including Mercury 20 Gallery in Oakland, Sanchez Contemporary Gallery in Oakland, Orangeland Gallery in San Francisco, and Marin Society of Artists in San Rafael. As well as Sturt Haaga Gallery in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Northern California Art in Chico. Tara is also a long distance runner and she studies plant life on her runs. She is inspired daily by the beauty that surrounds us and she captures images that live on through her art. All of the subjects of her paintings are seen through her eyes in nature.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Since 2018 I have been creating succulent paintings. In late 2017 I was commissioned to make a large painting 30 x 64 of particular succulents. Though at the time I had not paid much attention to succulents, I was a plant lover, so I gladly accepted. I began paying closer attention to succulents on my daily dog walks and runs. It quickly became an obsession and from there the series was born. I realized that I had passed so many gorgeous plants for years and never noticed their obvious beauty. I feel deeply drawn to succulents. I aim to make them seen through my paintings. Succulents are beautiful and deserve to be seen in a big way, so I paint them big. I am interested in the plant personalities. The abundant varieties of texture, color, shape, and how succulents change with the seasons. I celebrate their character and diversity. How succulents share space, lean on each other, or hold each other up. They thrive in community. My paintings look deep into the plants. Succulents bring me joy and I see them as divine in nature. I aim to bring the viewer in to offer a new perspective and share my intimate viewpoint of succulents through my art.
Website: taraesperanza.com
Instagram: @taraesperanza