Tara Leaver: A Sensory Experience
Inspired by the magic and otherworldliness of sea life, British artist Tara Leaver brings elements of her oceanic explorations into every painting. Living in coastal Cornwall, Tara’s work reflects the colors, movement, and organic forms that one finds when deep-sea diving or floating above the waves. In this interview, Tara discusses the sensory experiences that became the driving force behind her work.
How did your creative journey begin?
Like many artists, I was always this way. Even when I was tiny I loved to draw, paint, write stories and poems, and make things with my hands. I used to hide away in the bathroom and make 'potions' from all the bottles of products in there, no doubt much to my mum's delight! I studied art all the way through school, learned sight size drawing in Florence, and took a year long art foundation course in my early twenties, which I loved. I struggled with depression for a long time, and lost my connection to my artist self until I was about thirty. Since then it's been a source of healing, growth, joy, comfort, and self expression, and is now how I make my living, in various ways. It just makes sense to me; it's how I express being human.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I discovered several years ago that there has always been a common thread running through my art, even though for a while it was quite diverse, and that was a sense of trying to express what freedom feels like. That's still true, and these days it comes from the sensory experience of swimming in the sea, surrounded by dancing seaweed, the breeze on my skin, birds overhead, and the physical and emotional sensations of being immersed in the natural world. My artist antennae are always up though, so inspiration comes from all sorts of other places too - a poem, something overheard, the silhouette of a plant against the sky.
How has your work shifted and evolved over time?
In 2008, while recovering from a breakdown, I discovered the world of online courses and art blogs. Instagram wasn't around yet, and online courses were relatively uncommon. But it opened up a whole new world to me, and I was so excited and inspired, I dived into everything and anything, so the work I was making was very varied and experimental. I'd never come across mixed media before, and that really appealed to my love of both painting and putting things together with my hands.
As I kept going, my work evolved to become more focused on abstract landscapes in particular. I'd always focused on the figure before, but abstract landscape was what gave me the way to express that feeling of freedom, so recently discovered in myself after so long being unwell. My work became very bold and colourful, very expressive. When I moved to Cornwall, it shifted again to what it is now; abstract landscapes with a greater leaning towards the abstract, and more muted colours. I work mostly on raw wood panel now rather than canvas; I love its 'immediacy' and working with its inherent patterns and wildness - like the natural world that inspires me.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?
I don't really have a typical day, which is one of many things I love about being an artist and being my own boss! I mostly work in collections, which is something I've only been doing for a few years, and it has really changed the rhythms of my practice. Creating them is an intense period of more or less daily studio time over a few months. Once a collection is released, I tend to need some time to recharge and refill the well, although I'm always thinking about painting, and will create 'Solo Paintings' between collections.
Because I also teach artists online, and my brain loves the different way of working that entails, my focus tends to switch to that while the next collection percolates, so then my days look like more computer time, and a little less intensive studio time. Outside of the different types of work, I swim, take walks along the coast path, read, write, and exercise my creativity in other ways. I'm always making something!
Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?
I think the main ones, at least in recent years, have been moving to the coastal countryside in Cornwall from a lifetime of city living, and then taking a year long mentoring programme here, which marked a significant shift in both my confidence and the way I work. Those two things combined have brought out a whole new body of work from me, that feels fully aligned with who I've become and how I feel most truthfully self expressed. It's also enabled me to start showing and selling my work regularly in galleries in the UK and online.
How has Instagram impacted your art career?
That's a great question, and one I've been thinking about a lot lately; I know I'm not alone in finding it to be a bit of a double edged sword! I'm very introverted and reclusive by nature, and am grateful to Instagram for opening up a world of connections that wouldn't have happened otherwise. It's helped me find galleries to show my work, brought opportunities for interviews and licensing, introduced me to new friends and collaborators, and given me somewhere to connect with other artists and collectors. I run a challenge every January that has become hugely popular; it's intense, but very rewarding seeing how much people love and find value in it, and it helps more people find me.
On the other hand, I've found Instagram can be a fertile ground for awakening what I call the 'demons'; it can be a drain, and take time away from creating. It's pushed me to up my self care game and create stronger boundaries, which is a good thing. Long term I think I'd like to find a way to run my business without it, but for the time being it brings me so many opportunities and gifts, and I'm incredibly grateful for that.
What are your future goals and aspirations?
I'm about to start working on the next collection, and am developing new ways to support other artists in my online membership, the Happy Artist Studio. More abstractly, I'd love to have my work on an album or book cover, and I'd like to find a way to transfer my process to the vertical, so I can paint a mural. Overall, I just want to keep growing as an artist, and enjoying all the different ways it enriches my life.
Website: www.taraleaverart.com
Instagram: @taraleaverart