tara winona art

Dear All,

I have had an identity change!

I have decided to be Tara Winona and not Stargrace - and so am changing everything over and transfering my blog to http://tarawinona.blogspot.com/

When we have figured out how to make the URL etc work you will be able to type in http://www.tarawinona.com/ and it will take you straight there!

All items on my Stargrace etsy shop are now under Tara Winona also -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tarawinona

For those of you following me on Stargrace I would love it if you would follow me from Tara Winona!

Sending you all lots of love x

a day in the studio

I am blessed to have many creative friends. One came and joined me for lunch and a spot of photography! She is so talented, I wanted to share...

butterfly transformations or the Samba!

I have finished my painting! 

Oh what a wonderful rush of exhilaration I feel when I finish a painting! Oh the smugness of it!!
  

This one has certainly been all about dancing the Samba. It has been a wild dance - from joy to despair in seconds as I overeagerly dashed something down or lost the feeling I was seeking for.

I have inked and painted and painted and inked. I have dotted like Seurat and dashed like Van Gogh. I have painted so many layers that it could almost get up and walk by itself!

At midnight last night I was ready to let it go ... another one bites the dust... Today I came in with fresh eyes. Some insights from fellow artists in the studio and within a couple of hours it was transformed! Now I feel cheshire-cat smug and as if I can climb any mountain.  

The inspiration behind this painting has been all about transformation. Hidden layers that lie beneath, blossoming and bearing fruit. Beauty which is more than skin deep. A different way of seeing the world. From pupa to butterfly. I feel like I have been incubating a very long time and am finally truly waking up and stretching my wings.

For this idea to work the butterfly had to be strong and almost realistic (eek said she in the grips of a wild oil pastel samba frenzy!) Oil pastel was not the right medium for the delicate feathery feeling of butterfly wings. It is so deliciously lumpy and wild, like painting with gelato in its lusciousness - perfect for portraits, difficult for delicate. I had to find a different medium. Gouache and ink!

Pablo Picasso once said 'The artist goes through states of fullness to emptiness.'

Onwards!

From Bach to the Samba!

The images of my 'Little Red Angels' are so simple. When I dreamt them, I wanted their symbolism to be powerful and to speak louder than my arty technique.

It has been so challenging creating them in the free and yet incredibly constrained medium of watercolour - one wrong blob and you are out! They dry so differently to how they look as you paint them. It is always a sigh of relief when I open the studio doors the morning after a creative frenzy and see that they worked!

In other media you can paint over and hide any mistakes. In watercolour it is the juxtaposition of wild freefall comnbined with military precision to get it right. You can not hide!

My Faith series are so different to anything I have created before and I have learnt so much about myself, about persistence and willingness to learn, taking a leap and often getting it wrong (and then do it all over again!)

Watercolour for me has been like playing a complicated Bach sonata - all technique and controlled passion.

Right now I am working on my next adventure in the wild rhythms of oil pastels and ink. It feels fabulous. Like I am doing the Samba with swinging hair and a thumping beat! I eagerly dash down to my studio each day with such joy in my step. I am bursting at the seams with ideas and have to force myself to slow down.

I will return to watercolour and am determined to find my voice in its wild untameable beauty ... for now though it's samba on! (a little peek of a work in progress above)

cards cards!

I have always loved cards. I collect them and stick them on my wall, the images and messages on them inspiring me and becoming part of my 'courage armour'. I look at them to remind me of things I want to do, paintings I admire or ways I want to be.

And now I am creating my own. I have put my little red angels onto them and they look GORGEOUS! I gave one of 'Faith' to a friend about to make a big leap of change in her life. I was so touched by her response - I dream that they may inspire others.















On the back of the cards I have written -

I got a bit teary when I wrote it (call me a big sop!) as I remembered the times when I needed a helping hand to see the rainbow through the clouds. I do hope my paintings make a difference.

I took my first printed cards carefully down to my studio to take photos of them for my etsy shop page. I was concentrating so much I didn't notice that the tide had risen and overflowed onto the banks - wet feet for me!  Luckily I made it to the safety of my doorway and had a lovely afternoon watching the swans float by as I painted.

dancing stars

Some stars tumbled out of the sky and wanted to dance on the walls of children's bedroom to help them have sweet dreams.

Inspired by my 'little' sister who just had twins join my darling nephew who was not yet two - in the hope that they all may have lots of precious sleep! These danced into my imagination and also inspired my stargrace theme... I loved the way the watercolour paint ran and congealed into dreamy swirly puddles. An excercise in freedom and control - rather like children it seems!

Sending lots of love to those awake in the wee hours attending to little angels.

my hideaway studio

Because the universe is full of grace I was one day gifted with a studio. Somewhere in London on the river, full of magic and ripples of light sent scudding across the water. Herons sit looking like old wise men and if I am very lucky I catch the blue opalescent flash of a kingfisher.

I wanted to share it with you - this magic space which enriches and inspires me.

angel boy

I sat and thought one day of the love, patience and resilience it takes to be a mother. I am in awe of those around me who are parenting.

And so I drew this little angel in homage to my sisters, friends and all those raising little boys whom will one day take on the mantle of the world and have their own adventures. 

Sending you an angel - for your courage and to help you both as parents and someone fulfilling their dreams. 

And to little boys as they grow, hoping they keep their hearts open and their spirits strong. 

inspiration

Just back from Barcelona and in awe of what one man's vision and commitment to his passion has done to inspire thousands of people. The Segrada Familia, all of his work, is a monument to creativity and self-belief.

Gaudi you are one of my heroes!