ABOUT TANYA

I began painting as a way to get out of my head and express myself in ways that words did not allow. 

Coming to this exciting trade rather late in life - better late than never - I had always been creative: 

Writing and composing poetry and stories, and creating recipes off the top of my head; performing in speech arts, and even dabbling a little into sketching and watercolor painting - what young girl hasn't enjoyed painting flowers in the garden , or repeatedly drawing horses and figures on the back of notebooks?  As much as I was creative, I also strived for order and structure, as a way to gather all my creative impulses, ideas and inspirations into one concrete expression that could allow me to express, create, and then move on. Growing up, it was difficult for me to find such a medium, and stick with it.

It was only when I endured true pain and loss however, in my personal life that I found painting - or I should say, painting found me. I began mentoring and learning with Michael Brouillet - now my husband. Under his supportive guidance, I started a healing journey through the visceral joy of painting; eventually coming to adopt it as a regular pursuit, in setting up in a studio at Welch Street Studios. 

I started off in oils and abstract expressionism, with colourful strokes, smears and splatters; and then moved on to palette work with large chunkey textures and blocks of colour; and I have continued to evolve and grow bolder and more confident with what my purpose is and how to best express it through the medium of paint. 

To this day, I continue to work with the palette knife, and move back and forth between acrylic and oils: allowing the subject matter to dictate the best medium. I linger over flowers and vases, and feel drawn in by their bold displays of the colour spectrum; and labour over perfecting composition, and complementary colours. Alas, nothing is perfect or ever can be perfected - and flowers are a beautiful example of the 'perfect imperfection' I seek to demonstrate in my paintings. I use the thick lusciousness of colour to display the beautiful imperfections; going with the flaw. For that is where I find my inspiration, in this big beautiful world.