Tara Leaver: A Moving Stillness

Tara Leaver is an abstract landscape artist working in mixed media from her garden studio by the sea in Cornwall. Her paintings explore the sensory experiences of immersion in wild nature, in particular the sea. Her work has been exhibited in Cornwall, Sussex and the Cotswolds, and is owned by collectors all over the world.

"When we first went into lockdown back in March, and there was a lot of fear and anxiety swirling around, we were only allowed to go as far as we could walk here for an hour a day. I am very fortunate to live ten minutes' walk from a quiet beach, so was able to go down there for my more or less daily walks.

I spent the time exploring the rock pools in the cove, and became obsessed with these tiny universes of light and shadow, movement and stillness. I took hundreds of underwater photos, and shared my beach trips in my stories on Instagram, which became a popular feature. I received dozens of messages daily from people saying how much they enjoyed and looked forward to the walking stories, in particular from those who were not able to go out at all. It was such a small thing but I was happy to be able to share the anxiety-soothing benefits of my beach walks, even through a screen.

I created a collection of paintings about the rock pools called A Moving Stillness, using acrylics and inks on wood panel. It was a kind of therapy, to lose myself in the pools, followed by the challenge of creating paintings that expressed and shared my experience with the viewer. I made twelve paintings in total, which are available to view here. I will also be exhibiting them as part of Cornwall Open Studios from 29th August - 6th September, by appointment and with safety measures in place."

You can see more of Tara's work on her website, or connect with her on Instagram.

CuratorSpace are currently featuring articles by artists, curators and organisations who want to share their experiences of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, whether that is artists using their practice as a way of exploring new boundaries of isolation, or as a way to connect more broadly with their communities. We are also interested in hearing from curators and organisations who are offering support to artists and audiences during this time.

Contact us at louise@curatorspace.com to share your story.

More news

Not another listings site

CuratorSpace isn't another listings website; it's a place where curators and organisers can use custom online forms to allow artists to apply to their opportunity. It also allows you to see and manage all submissions made to your opportunity on the website, and to contact contributors directly.