Unframed; Mixed media on paper
41.5x29.5cm
This work is unframed, any framed images are illustrative only
Originally from London, Tara Leaver is an artist and teacher living by the sea in Cornwall, UK. Tara is happiest near - or preferably in - the sea, where she swims as often as she can. She immerses herself in the multi-sensory experience of it, taking photos underwater, looking and feeling into the abundance of life above and below the waves. Back in the studio, she weaves together elements from the photos, memories, and gathered seaweed, to distill those experiences into paintings.
Liquid, dynamic paint layers of varying consistencies are combined with fleeting, but more carefully drawn or carved glimpses of recognisable elements of aquatic life, from the birds overhead to the seaweed below. She challenges myself to create something unexpected in each painting, something that prompts a second look; she works until every piece expresses what feels like a truth about the pleasures and surprises of immersion in wild nature.
