The process of transforming clay or paint into art is one that absorbs me to the point that when I have my hands in it, time ceases to exist.
Creating gives me such joy, i am so humbly thankful to be able to engage in it daily.
Creating gives me such joy, i am so humbly thankful to be able to engage in it daily.
e-mail: [email protected]
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY: TARA J. BELK
Tara J. Belk has been living and creating art in the Blue Ridge Mountains for the past twenty years. She grew up in Minnesota of Scandinavian descent and attended college there. Like most children, she loved to draw from a very early age…. moving from crayons to pencils and then to paints. She took her first oil painting class at 14 receiving the lessons as a gift from a close family friend and her mother. Never dreaming her most enjoyable pastime could actually become a career, she focused on other studies in college. Afterwards, moving on to Arizona where she worked, married and honed her drawing and painting skills under brilliant desert skies. Eventually, she moved east and earned a Creative Arts Degree from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Her artwork found its way into numerous exhibitions, receiving awards and a place in both private and public collections. After visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains and sensing a deep connection, she knew she’d found her permanent home.
She now divides her time between teaching drawing, painting and pottery at her Tennessee studio and also at ASU in the Craft Enrichment Department, and creating her own personal expressions in clay, pastel, and paint. The inspiration for her work stems from her love of the mountains, a grateful heart and a desire to honor her Creator.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Art has been a passion of mine all my life. I enjoy working in a variety of art mediums and have had experience in many different disciplines. I also love to teach and share all that I have learned, and with God’s direction, I desire to positively influence the next generation of artists.
It is my hope that my work conveys the wonder, appreciation and humor I feel as I experience the endless variety in nature and interact with creatures of all kinds. I am not interested in merely duplicating something that already exists, rather in drawing the viewer’s attention to the personality inherent in every living thing waiting to be discovered. Emotional expression and heart connection are the most essential elements I strive to include in each work of art. The “real artist” I believe, is not the one with gifted hands adept at rendering, but the one who has “gifted vision” and delights in the sights!
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY: TARA J. BELK
Tara J. Belk has been living and creating art in the Blue Ridge Mountains for the past twenty years. She grew up in Minnesota of Scandinavian descent and attended college there. Like most children, she loved to draw from a very early age…. moving from crayons to pencils and then to paints. She took her first oil painting class at 14 receiving the lessons as a gift from a close family friend and her mother. Never dreaming her most enjoyable pastime could actually become a career, she focused on other studies in college. Afterwards, moving on to Arizona where she worked, married and honed her drawing and painting skills under brilliant desert skies. Eventually, she moved east and earned a Creative Arts Degree from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Her artwork found its way into numerous exhibitions, receiving awards and a place in both private and public collections. After visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains and sensing a deep connection, she knew she’d found her permanent home.
She now divides her time between teaching drawing, painting and pottery at her Tennessee studio and also at ASU in the Craft Enrichment Department, and creating her own personal expressions in clay, pastel, and paint. The inspiration for her work stems from her love of the mountains, a grateful heart and a desire to honor her Creator.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Art has been a passion of mine all my life. I enjoy working in a variety of art mediums and have had experience in many different disciplines. I also love to teach and share all that I have learned, and with God’s direction, I desire to positively influence the next generation of artists.
It is my hope that my work conveys the wonder, appreciation and humor I feel as I experience the endless variety in nature and interact with creatures of all kinds. I am not interested in merely duplicating something that already exists, rather in drawing the viewer’s attention to the personality inherent in every living thing waiting to be discovered. Emotional expression and heart connection are the most essential elements I strive to include in each work of art. The “real artist” I believe, is not the one with gifted hands adept at rendering, but the one who has “gifted vision” and delights in the sights!
