Open Studios Newsletter & Other Happenings

Happy Spring to you all! I'm busy getting ready for a bunch of upcoming events, making new art, and exploring new designs. I'm working a lot with metallic accents, and currently obsessed with metal leaf (metal beaten to gossamer-thin sheets of just a few microns). I'm enjoying being productive and have been spending a lot of time in the studio, doing photo walks, stocking up on art supplies, and experimenting with rice papers and cured fruit wood to use as my canvas, rather than pre-made manufactured rectangular panels. Fingers crossed! I hope to have some ready in time for Open Studios in 2 weeks!
 

Open Studios
Saturday, June 9, 11am - 5pm

Inscape Arts Building
815 Seattle Blvd South
Seattle, WA 98134

Mark your calendars! Join me and more than 30 other artists for our semiannual Open Studios on June 9! Visit dozens of artists throughout the 5 stories of the historic Inscape Arts. It's a beautiful building and I'm lucky that my studio has a beautifully ornate curved window looking out on the city. I'll have new work to show, including several photo encaustic mixed media works in smaller sizes, in addition to landscape and botanical photography. My studio mate, Susan Cole, will be showing some of her newest Household series, of which I am totally in love. In the rest of the building you'll find painting, encaustic, neon drawing, photography, and clothing design. We'll have a variety of snacks (homemade!!) and drinks, both alcoholic and non, and there will be a food truck on site. As always, there is ample parking available behind the building.

This is a one-day only event, Saturday, June 9, from 11 am to 5 pm. I hope to see you there! And if you can't make it, feel free to ask about setting up a personal visit - I love visitors, and 'm happy to arrange an alternate time and show you what I've been up to.

To whet your appetite, Laura Walton Allen of Two Ponies Press is producing a podcast with several artists participating in the open studios, including yours truly! While not available quite yet, it will be live by June 1st. You can look for it on her website Two Ponies Press (here's a shortcut to her podcasts).

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

'Flourish'

Spokane, WA
Through June 28

'Flourish' is a group photography show combining the separate work of Melinda Hurst Frye, Tara McDermott, and Meggan Joy; three female photographers from Seattle, Washington, whose work revolves around the narrative of the natural world. This photographic exhibition runs April 2 - June 28 at Chase Gallery, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., located in Spokane's City Hall.
 

'Home' Group Exhibit in Mt. Baker

South Seattle
Through June 29

I have a new series of photographs on strange suburban plant life up at the Mt. Baker Windermere office. They host regular art exhibits and my work is on display along with 8 other artists. Work will be up through the end of June at 4919 S Genesee St, Seattle, WA 98118.

UPCOMING EXHIBITS

Windermere Mt. Baker - Solo Show

4919 S Genesee St
Seattle WA 98118
Reception: Friday, July 13, 5:30-8pm
July - September

Save the date! I'll be showing a large selection of work at the Mt. Baker Windermere office July through September. They have a beautiful location with lots of room to show off art throughout their spacious offices. It is open to the public and they welcome people to come in - they are a very friendly neighborhood business nestled between Mt. Baker and Seward Park. Come visit and grab some food across the street - Both Ways Cafe is a great brunch spot and Flying Squirrel Pizza is great for dinner. Of course my favorite is Raconteur and Third Place Books just down the street. A great neighborhood gem to check out before seeing art and taking a scenic walk along Lake Washington. 

I'll be showing a variety of work including my minimal botanical photographs, a selection of landscapes, and my colorful mixed media photo encaustics. There will be a big reception on Friday, July 13, from 5:30 - 8 and I can promise you a lovely spread of drinks and food (I've been incredibly impressed by it in the past). 
 

City of Kent
Kent Summer Art Exhibit

June 6 - August 22

Two of my Coenosium series of botanical images have been selected for the City of Kent's Summer Art Exhibition. This will be on display June 6 - August 22 at the Centennial Center Gallery at Kent City Hall at 400 W. Gwe St., Kent, WA 98032. There will be a reception on June 6 evening, and exhibition hours are 8am - 5pm M-F. I've been really impressed by the City of Kent's art collection and looking forward to seeing my work in the same location, even temporarily. 
 

Anacortes Arts Festival
Arts at the Port Juried Fine Art Show

July 28 - Aug 5

I'm thrilled to have an additional 2 works from the Coenosium series selected for inclusion of the Anacortes Arts Festival. Juror Michael Monroe, Director Emeritus for the Bellevue Art Museum, selected 70 artists out of 222 applicants. I'm sure it will be a killer show and I can't wait to see what other works were selected.

Final Thoughts

Spring is barreling along. I've taken a few trips out to Eastern Washington so far this past month, for a reception and artist talk in Spokane, and for a wine-tasting trip out to Walla Walla (all I can say is "Wow!"). Every time I visit I am continually amazed how majestic and incredible Washington State is. Wandering through back roads away from the crowds and traffic of the urban centers are good for the soul. I'm planning a few more dedicated trips to fully take advantage of the region, weather, and recharge.

I encourage you to spend more time outdoors. Breathe fresh air. Listen to the birds. Disconnect from technology, and look out at the horizon!

Wishing you all beauty and happiness,
Tara

Featured Exhibition at Columbia City Gallery

I'm pleased to introduce a new series of minimalist botanical imagery now up at the Columbia City Gallery, the cooperative gallery that I'm a member of. The opening night party will be from 5-7 pm on Sat, Sept. 30 (the last Saturday of the month) in South Seattle in downtown Columbia City. These are very large works - the images are 32x32" framed (that's almost 3 feet!). The large scale works well to highlight their graphic quality, and really immerse yourself in the color and feeling. I've included a few snapshots of the work, on the left, the final framed piece, and on the right, testing out matt colors and framing samples to decide on a final presentation. 

This series brings my exploration of photographing the natural world full circle, from my origins as a landscape photographer, through my explorations of layered and colored encaustic mixed media works, and back to straight photography. In this latest iteration, I bring a conceptual and graphic sensibility to botanical subject matter. The exhibition runs September 27 - November 12 (Weds-Sun, 11am - 7 pm).

The event is open to the public - feel free to bring friends and family (all ages). There will be light refreshments and wine servied. Make it a fun evening out and explore the many unique restaurants, music venues, and movie theater in the neighborhood. If you haven't been here before, it's a gem!.

And the results are in!

I've gotten film developed from a few recent trips to the Palouse area of Eastern Washington (close to Pullman), taken late May through August. After shooting super minimalist images in Seattle for the past several years, think lots of negative (ie, empty) space and overcast skies, it's been a shock to see such strong vibrant colors show up on my film. 

Getting film developed is just as excited as opening Christmas presents. I've enjoyed going through so many rolls of landscape images and trying to pick my favorites. I've scanned a few and cleaned them up for some summer exhibits, but I have so many still left to get to. It will be fun dealing with them when Seattle turns to the ever-present grey rain clouds this winter and I need a dose of saturated color. Full size images are in the Landscapes gallery. 

Palouse Photosafari

It's been several years since I've done landscape photography, being busy with developing the photo encaustic series, Imagined Places. Earlier this month I caught the road trip bug and took a trip out to the Palouse area of Eastern Washington (that's the bottom right corner of the state). I've been there before, but never so early in the year. It was so beautiful that I decided I had to go back a second time, during Memorial Day weekend, for a quick trip. It feels like coming home, being out in the eastern side of my favorite state. 

There's nothing like the great silence, the hot sun beating down, the clouds slowly rolling across the sky, the sound of growing wheat shushing in the wind. The drone of an insect is all that disturbs the silence. There are so few cars and people out there. I love going out on those primitive gravel roads, getting lost, and seeing such beautiful country. 

Here are a few quick images, while I get my film developed and scanned. Images are also posted on my instagram feed.

View fullsize

View fullsize

June at Vashon Island's Koch Gallery

Friday June 2 is going to be an exciting evening. I'll be exhibiting at the beautiful Vashon Center for the Art's Koch Gallery, in the center of Vashon Island. This will be a 3-person show, with my botanically-themed encaustic works on display to coincide with the Island's annual garden tour. I'll be showing work from the last 2 years, in addition to debuting several few new pieces. I'm thrilled at the opportunity to show so many of my photo encaustic mixed media artworks, all together in one place.

It should be a great exhibit, and will illustrate the progression of my process and imagery from when I first began making works for the Imagined Places series. If you'd like to join me for the opening night party, it will be Friday, June 2, from 6-9 pm. Be advised that Friday ferry traffic can have long waiting times, so plan accordingly! The exhibition will run through June 29. The gallery is open Mon - Fri, 10 - 5, and Sat, 12 - 5. It is located at 19600 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon Island. 

March 18 - Domanico Cellars

This coming Saturday, March 18, from 5-9 pm I'll be exhibiting a large selection of my work in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. I'll have over 20 works on display in the tasting room at Domanico Cellars, an Eastern Washington-based winery. The winery has some really excellent wines, with glasses available for under $10 and tastings available for $8 (which count towards purchase of a bottle). There will be light nibbles available on opening night. Come, see some art, drink some excellent wine and hang out. There is plenty of street parking available.

I'll have work on display from several series, including a mix of straight photography and photo and encaustic pieces. I'll also be debuting several new works from my Botanical series of minimal photographs. Work will remain up for a few weeks through mid-May.

Domanico Cellars
825 NW 49th St, Seattle, WA 98107
Phone: (206) 465-9406

Holiday Sale at West Seattle Art Walk - December 8

A quick announcement: I'll be participating the West Seattle Art Walk on December 9, 2016 in the Windermere office in the Alaska junction, from 5-8 pm. I'll have greeting cards and prints available for sale. All work priced very inexpensively for gift giving. And if you get something for yourself? Who am I to judge. 

I have cards available including several from the Botanical and Imagined Places series. Prints available as 5x5" and 8x8", which work well with many standard framing sizes.

Nov 19: INScape Open Studios

Fall has arrived, the election is over, and the holidays are right around the corner! I’ve recently moved into an artist studio at the INScape building, the old immigration building in south downtown Seattle and we are having an open studio event this Saturday. There will be a food truck and free parking. INScape artists and art-inspired businesses are proud to present their bi-annual event filled with artists’ studios open to the public, activities, installation art, interactive art, docent tours, live music and more. It’s our way of ushering in the holiday spirit!

I'm working on a new series of photographic works, minimal botanical imagery, and will be debuting them in the studio. If you need a respite from the news, come out, socialize, and get a dose of holiday cheer. Along with my studio mate, Susan Cole, we'll have a lot of art on display, including many of my encaustic pieces. I'll have greeting cards and photographs for sale (from affordable small prints to larger, framed works). I also welcome commissions if you have a special request.

This family-friendly all day event, gives patrons and the public a chance to talk with artists about their work, share in the excitement of the growing community of artists in Seattle and purchase works directly from the makers.

Please join us celebrate on this fabulous day!

Two Spring Exhibits

It's a busy spring! In addition to spending every weekend photographing all the budding trees, in all stages of growth, I have 2 exhibitions with openings, the same week (and the first week of spring, how apropos). The first is an exhibit curated by Anna Macrae and June Sekiguchi at Aljoya Mercer Island, titled "Rhythms of Nature" on Sunday, March 20 from 2-4 pm. This is an invitational show of which I'm one of 5 artists dealing with botanical elements. There are some really fabulous artists on display, so I'm quite honored to be included among them. I have a brand new piece I'm showing, "Premonition" a large triptych in blues, greens, and yellows, in addition to several smaller element studies. Full details are listed below, and the show runs through July 10.  

The second exhibit opening is Tues, March 22 from 6-8 pm at Gallery Belltown Condominium at 2911 Second Ave, Seattle 98121. Show runs through April 7. I have 17 pieces on display, a mix of landscape photography and photo encaustics. I'm exhibiting alongside the beautiful paint, paper, and collages of Nola Ahola. 

Jan 16 Opening Night and a Look Back at 2015

I've just completed what I believe to be one of my best pieces ever, September in Eden, and it has just been delivered and put on display at the Columbia City Gallery. Opening night for the 6 week exhibit is this Saturday, Jan 16, from 5-8 pm. I'll be in attendance along with many of our 26-member cooperative gallery artists. The photo of the piece just does not do it justice, it's much better in person, so I hope to see some of you in person. The gallery also has our annual Silent Secret Auction, running Jan 13 - 24. I have three older photographs available at exceptionally low prices to help them find a new forever home. The 3 works are 14.5 x 14.5" prints, framed to 20 x 20" in contemporary black wood frames.

2015 was a year of important decisions and progressions in my art making. I started in a new artistic direction with these layered/collaged photographs and with the encaustic process which debuted in my February 2015 featured show. It was so exciting to have something NEW and so completely different from any previous work. I strongly suspected at the time that this would be a new body of work that would take a few years to put together, but I've come to realize I think the work is significantly more like a complete paradigm shift. I think it's the work I'm going to be making for many many years to come. I still get as amped up and excited about the possibilities for new pieces now as I did when I first developed the process. 

In 2014, I jumped back into making photography after a long hiatus. I joined a cooperative gallery (The Columbia City Gallery), and committed to exhibiting 6 times per year. But in 2015 I started to take it all a bit more serious. I began looking to the future, thinking and determining what I wanted to accomplish with my art practice. I began to connect more with the arts community in the northwest. I applied and was accepted into the Artist Trust EDGE professional development for artists program. I spent a lot of time talking about art with fellow artist friends. I began to make a plan for "what next?".

In the short term, I will continue to make art and continue building a body of work. In the longer term, I will be looking for a formal studio space (ie, not in my apartment). I will be looking for exhibit opportunities to show beyond my gallery. I hope to continue making larger and more complex artworks. And I'll continue to develop my work into new and interesting directions.

Thank you all for your appreciation and support so far! 

September in Eden, 2016, Photo and Encaustic on Wood Panel (triptych), 36 x 36"