Change and the observation of its subtleties are the essence of Tara Bryan's work. Light and its ever-changing effects on land and water are the main focus of her painting. In the process, the pieces become personal responses to her experience of the place observed.

Tara grew up in Texas and Oklahoma where the sun is relentless and the sky endless. Drawing became her main activity as soon as she could hold a pencil; the physical act of making marks has always intrigued and absorbed her. In university, her mark-making consisted mostly of composing music, but she was always compelled to draw. She returned to visual art after a year spent teaching English in the People's Republic of China. During her time there, she studied Chinese calligraphy and traditional ink painting, and traveled across the country from Shanghai to Lahsa. Tara returned to North America transformed.

Since 1989, when she first visited Newfoundland, she has been painting the coastline in oil, watercolour, and acrylics. She moved to the province in 1992. “The air in Newfoundland is tangible and softens the light, making the landscape delicious and mysterious.”

Tara began making books in 1985 and incorporates her painting into the three dimensional space that a book allows. “I love the tactile experience of holding a book – the intimacy is so different from the experience of looking at a painting.”

Tara has exhibited her paintings and books locally and nationally. Her work is found in private and public collections in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Image shown: “Tablelands” – 10 x 41 cm (4” x 16”) open