This little piggy went to market!

Once upon a time I took a leap of faith and began painting again...

which led to printers ...

and selling paintings on etsy ...

and opened up new worlds ...

and then one day a lovely lady saw my work and invited me to her markets.

With a deep breath I took another step, spent many sleepless nights printing, painting, preparing, nail biting and with 4 hours sleep (arggghH!) went to market.

What a beautiful magical place, set in an old medieval barn straight out of fairytales. I laid out my 'wares' and took another step in opening my art and my heart to the worlds. What a gorgeous place to do so.

Everyone was so kind, helpful and welcoming of green, nervous me! I had fascinating conversations with many interesting people, sharing my little red angel world and adventures and listening to theirs, marvelling at so much talent collected together in one market. I learnt so much.















Wonderful friends came along to support me. My lovely photographer friend got up early with her two gorgeous boys and off we trooped. I couldn't have done it without her. She encouraged, directed and helped in a truly wonderful display of deep friendship and love. The boys were amazing, so well behaved and courteous (so proud of you two - drawing classes at the hideaway studio soon!)

Other friends arrived, my heart jumping with joy and surprise each time to see their smiling faces. One for whom it is not so easy to get around, who touches my heart with his joy and his courage (JL & G, you are truly angels!) Another significant friend who originally found me the hideaway studio appeared with her mum.

Another turned up to take me home in a little Noddy-mobile - into which we managed to fit all of my boxes and paraphernalia, which proves that the Tardis is real!

I sold prints and cards but more importantly I came home rich in heart and spirit.

searching for clarity

Sometimes in life, I have searched far and wide for the 'answer'. I have looked in many many places and asked many many questions. How funny to discover that the key was at my feet all along - in my heart and my fingertips (and my paints and my words)!

My Dad used to tell a tale of a monk who was searching for something late at night, in a circle of light cast by a lampost.  Another monk saw him searching and asked him where he had last seen his lost object.

'Oh round the corner back there' replied the first monk.

'Why arent you looking over there then?'

'Well, there's no light over there.'

www.tarawinona.com

I have launched Tara Winona Art to the world!

I feel incredibly grateful for all the feedback, support and encouragement I have recieved. Thank you to you all for taking the time to look at my creations and send me your messages.

It is a strange and wonderful thing to swirl away into my paints and my heart. Recieving so many messages after finally summing up the courage to share my work truly means alot. It gives extra purpose to my step, strength to my courage and joy in my creating.

Thank you!

know yer onions

Onions are simple - right?!!?!

Right ....

Smooth yet rough...

 shiny yet dull,

brown yet orange and gold and green and russett...

As I tumbled into my painting I discovered why they say "know your onions!"

A little bit of a different path from my usual meaning-filled paintings. And lots of fun!

sharing a leap of faith

A few days ago I shipped off my first consignment of prints from my Etsy shop. It was such an exciting, nerve wracking and wonderful experience - like sending my babies out to the world.

All parcels have landed safely and so we cracked open a bottle of champers!

I recieved two beautiful messages and I feel so proud and humbled I wanted to share them ...
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'Am so excited with this purchase! You are so soulful and very talented which shows through these works. 

Thankyou for sharing your heart! 

Mitchxx'

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'My print arrived last weekend and I am sooooooo happy to add her to my collection!!!!!  Your artwork speaks to me on many levels...I am a redhead and right now I'm at a point in my life where I'm trying to make smart choices but still hold on to my inner 'magic'. The clarity and clean lines of your work causes me to take a deep breath and be still but it also gives me a lovely dose of joy as well. Faith reminds of a Grace Potter song, "Falling or Flying"... Thank you for sharing your vision and know that your treasure has found a good home here in the states!! Good luck and have a wonderful November! Mary

a day in the studio

I am blessed to have many creative friends. One came and joined me for lunch and a spot of photography! She is so talented, I wanted to share...

butterfly transformations (or the samba!)

I have finished my painting! 

Oh what a wonderful rush of exhilaration I feel when I finish a painting! Oh the smugness of it!!
  

This one has certainly been all about dancing the Samba. It has been a wild dance - from joy to despair in seconds as I overeagerly dashed something down or lost the feeling I was seeking for.

I have inked and painted and painted and inked. I have dotted like Seurat and dashed like Van Gogh. I have painted so many layers that it could almost get up and walk by itself!

At midnight last night I was ready to let it go ... another one bites the dust... Today I came in with fresh eyes. Some insights from fellow artists in the studio and within a couple of hours it was transformed! Now I feel cheshire-cat smug and as if I can climb any mountain.  

The inspiration behind this painting has been all about transformation. Hidden layers that lie beneath, blossoming and bearing fruit. Beauty which is more than skin deep. A different way of seeing the world. From pupa to butterfly. I feel like I have been incubating a very long time and am finally truly waking up and stretching my wings.

For this idea to work the butterfly had to be strong and almost realistic (eek said she in the grips of a wild oil pastel samba frenzy!) Oil pastel was not the right medium for the delicate feathery feeling of butterfly wings. It is so deliciously lumpy and wild, like painting with gelato in its lusciousness - perfect for portraits, difficult for delicate. I had to find a different medium. Gouache and ink!

Pablo Picasso once said 'The artist goes through states of fullness to emptiness.'

Onwards!

from bach to the samba!

The images of my 'Little Red Angels' are so simple. When I dreamt them, I wanted their symbolism to be powerful and to speak louder than my arty technique.

It has been so challenging creating them in the free and yet incredibly constrained medium of watercolour - one wrong blob and you are out! They dry so differently to how they look as you paint them. It is always a sigh of relief when I open the studio doors the morning after a creative frenzy and see that they worked!

In other media you can paint over and hide any mistakes. In watercolour it is the juxtaposition of wild freefall comnbined with military precision to get it right. You can not hide!

My Faith series are so different to anything I have created before and I have learnt so much about myself, about persistence and willingness to learn, taking a leap and often getting it wrong (and then do it all over again!)
    

Watercolour for me has been like playing a complicated Bach sonata - all technique and controlled passion.

Right now I am working on my next adventure in the wild rhythms of oil pastels and ink. It feels fabulous. Like I am doing the Samba with swinging hair and a thumping beat! I eagerly dash down to my studio each day with such joy in my step. I am bursting at the seams with ideas and have to force myself to slow down.

I will return to watercolour and am determined to find my voice in its wild untameable beauty ... for now though it's samba on! (a little peek of a work in progress above)

cards! cards!

I have always loved cards. I collect them and stick them on my wall, the images and messages on them inspiring me and becoming part of my 'courage armour'. I look at them to remind me of things I want to do, paintings I admire or ways I want to be.

And now I am creating my own. I have put my little red angels onto them and they look GORGEOUS! I gave one of 'Faith' to a friend about to make a big leap of change in her life. I was so touched by her response - I dream that they may inspire others.
















On the back of the cards I have written -

I got a bit teary when I wrote it (call me a big sop!) as I remembered the times when I needed a helping hand to see the rainbow through the clouds. I do hope my paintings make a difference.

I took my first printed cards carefully down to my studio to take photos of them for my etsy shop page. I was concentrating so much I didn't notice that the tide had risen and overflowed onto the banks - wet feet for me!  Luckily I made it to the safety of my doorway and had a lovely afternoon watching the swans float by as I painted.

dancing stars

Some stars tumbled out of the sky to dance on the walls of children's bedroom and help them have sweet dreams.

How precious is sleep! My 'little' sister just had twins. They joined my darling nephew at 16 months. She is my hero!

These stars danced into my imagination for them... I loved the way the watercolour paint ran and congealed into dreamy swirly puddles. An excercise in freedom and control - rather like children it seems!

Sending lots of love to those awake in the wee hours attending to little angels.

my hideaway studio

Because the universe is full of grace I was one day gifted with a studio. Somewhere in London on the river, full of magic and ripples of light sent scudding across the water. Herons sit looking like old wise men and if I am very lucky I catch the blue opalescent flash of a kingfisher.

I wanted to share it with you - this magic space which enriches and inspires me.