"Everyone is creative": an interview with Tara Barr
Between all the staff turnover and the holidays and life in general, our featured artists have been woefully neglected on this blog! Let’s rewind all the way back to November and celebrate Tara Barr. Our art director Denise Weber says she “was really drawn to the simplicity of [Tara’s] paintings, often a single object set against a simple background, with strong lines and minimal colors/textures. It really makes you focus on the object.”
Tara recently took some time to talk with us about how she incorporates art into her life between kids and work and—well, life in general:
1. On your Instagram, you mention that you started painting fairly recently. How has painting affected your work/life balance? Or how has work/life affected your painting?
I’ve always kept a sketchbook and did little art projects here and there for myself, but never with the intention of sharing anything. About two years ago I decided I wanted to take art more seriously. I had a desire to create a body of work that I could show publicly and find a community of artists to belong to. When I started painting, I was working full-time, commuting pretty far, and my kids were both under 6. Because of the demands on my time, I came up with a way to paint where I could work on a piece bit-by-bit. I kept all of my colors in little containers with lids and I hung my unfinished canvas on my dining room wall so it was constantly reminding me to finish it. If I had 5 minutes while the kids were playing or taking a bath, I could get a few brush strokes in and eventually the work got finished. I think it took me about 6 months to complete my first few paintings.
Things are a little more flexible now. I transitioned my day job down to part-time to make more time for my art career, I moved much closer to work so I’m spending less time commuting, and my kids are both in elementary school. But I’ve learned that I’m never too busy to incorporate a creative practice into my life. In fact, the busier I am, the more I need an outlet for creative expression. Painting is the most effective way I’ve found to combat stress.
2. In your artist statement, you discuss the importance of nostalgia in your work. What memories does the Boombox featured in SLM evoke for you?
It’s funny how we can look back at things from our childhood with fond memories, even if those things weren’t actually so great. Objectively, it’s way better to have a pocket-sized device with access to all of the music ever made, but we can still miss the days of mix tapes or skipping records or scratched CDs.
3. On your website, you sell original paint-by-number kits. What inspired you to do so? What are your thoughts on interactive artwork?
Everyone is creative. Some people know that they love drawing, or writing, or playing guitar. Others need a little more help flexing their creative muscles because they’ve been dormant for a while. The paint-by-number kits are a fun way to share the joy that the act of painting brings me and the satisfaction of creating a piece of art that they can display in their homes. My hope is that someone will be inspired to embark on their own creative project once the wheels are in motion.
***
View more of Tara’s work by visiting her Instagram: @tarabarr.art