BIO

Tara Andris is an oil painter whose work reminds the viewer of the beauty constantly surrounding us. Tara became interested in visual art as a child, cemented through weekly visits to her local art museum. This love for art led Andris to earn BFAs in History of Art and Painting from the University of Kansas in 2008. A determination to make art accessible to all audiences resulted in an MS of Education from Bank Street College of Education’s Leadership in Museum Education program in 2012.

After first experimenting with gold and silver leaf in 2006, the use of metal leaf has become a signature feature of Tara’s paintings. The incorporation of gilding is both a reference to its historical use as a symbol of significance in artwork as well as a representation of the depth and reflectiveness of the ever-changing sky.

Andris’ work has been featured in a variety of media and collected and exhibited internationally, including a recent exhibition in Dhaka, Bangladesh, through the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies Program. In addition to her work as an artist, Andris has enjoyed a career in museum education with previous roles at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Andris lives and works in Kensington, Maryland, just outside of Washington DC.

STATEMENT

Exquisite beauty continually floats above us, so sublime yet so often overlooked. My chosen subjects—primarily skies and clouds— are selected with the viewer in mind, prompting them to be more present and notice what an extraordinary thing this Earth is, if only for a moment. Utilizing silver or gold metal leaf, each painting begins with a gilded surface as ground. Next, oil paint is applied over the leafing with varied viscosity. The gilded surface becomes the work’s negative space and bleeds through thin strokes of paint just as the sun peeks through the clouds. The finished paintings mimic the depth and opalescence of the sky and elevate an everyday subject from easily forgotten to one considered precious.

My work and style have matured over the nearly twenty years that I’ve studied clouds. While I began painting directly from images and observation, my practice has become largely instinctual. I continue to utilize photos for reference but allow the paintings to develop as a unique object. Just as the clouds relentlessly transform, my work serves as a reminder for each of us of the beauty in constant evolution.

After almost two decades of painting, I remain in awe of the beauty that surrounds us.