Artist Bio
Born in Worcester, MA, Tara Donovan is an interdisciplinary artist and art therapist who works across a variety of modalities including drawing, painting, and three-dimensional sculpture. As an aspiring art therapist, Donovan creates empathetically driven work; letting unrestricted feelings flow through the elements of art. She has numerous pieces that have been exhibited in the Bilodeau Lounge, Desnoyers Overlook Gallery, and Carol Grillo Art Gallery at the Walter J Manninen Center for the Arts at Endicott College.
Donovan has completed two internships in the arts and psychology within Worcester County. She familiarizes herself with multiple materials and processes to serve diverse populations in art therapy. In the summer of 2022, Donovan was a school psychologist intern at an elementary school. She helped facilitate group and individual counseling sessions, crisis intervention, cognitive testing, and Individual Education Plan meetings. Currently, Donovan is pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Therapy at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. She also works as a tour guide with the university's Office of Admissions, where she leads personalized tours to educate families about academics, student life, and internships.
Artist Statement
I am an interdisciplinary artist who is currently studying to be an art therapist at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. I work in a variety of modalities including drawing, painting, ceramics, and three-dimensional sculpture. My body of work discovers the innate emotional connection humans have to nature. I do this through loose naturalism using spontaneous brush strokes and energetic texture.
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My studio practice mostly involves oil painting on gessoed wood panels. I begin with sketching and tracing out my imagery and designs. I dedicate substantial time to color mixing then gradually, I layer paint on top of my original drawing creating texture, value, and intensity. My subject matter spans geometric abstractions, portraits, animals, still life, and most prominently, landscapes. My work is characterized by rich color, deliberate lines, and distinct shapes. As an art therapist, it is important to me that the work I create is empathetically driven. I focus more on the elements of art rather than the subject matter to share the flow of unrestricted feelings.
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From a young age, I realized how freeing it is to share the way we see the world around us through art. In my current work, I am creating immersive landscapes that reflect the sacred peace nature provides us. I am incorporating abstract and stylized motifs to capture the sincere emotion each place creates. These projects not only draw upon my personal experiences of spending time outdoors during my childhood but also serve as a reminder to ground myself when life gets too chaotic. The beauty of nature forces us to slow down as we are humbled by its unwavering power.