Tara Kelly

Tara Kelly completed her Fine Arts Diploma at Langara College in Vancouver in 1993. Since then she has continually been painting and drawing. Her work has appeared in over 40 shows, stores and galleries in Canada, and is part of private collections in Canada, the US and Europe. Most recently, she has garnered recognition in 3 of CAGO's online art competitions, and her small works have been selected to be shown and sold at the Skyway Gallery in the Kelowna International Airport.

Facade: The outward appearance that conceals reality

Reality: The state of things as they actually exist

Imagine: Form a mental image of something not actually present

Tara Kelly's body of work contains these 4 themes and principles. By incorporating the real and the imagined, she strives to reveal the truth that lies behind outward appearances. She uses isolation as a design element to place emphasis on her subjects and to convey the emptiness in detachment.

Tara has 2 approaches to her canvases. Loose brushwork creates a bold statement, invoking an immediate visceral response. Using deliberate and methodical application, she depicts subject either as they are seen, or as she imagines them. These techniques, whether used separately or in combination, result in compositions that are both visually impacting and appealing, and invite the viewer to look beyond the picture presented.

“The creative process is always alive for me, whether I feel inspired or not. While inspiration is important, it is more so to create regularly, so I paint every day, even if I have only a limited time frame. I paint to inspire the viewer to look closer at the image presented and sense the implied meaning behind the literal picture. I paint to express my perspective of the things I have done, and the results they have had on my kids and my character.”