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Tara Verkuil, Distance, acrylic with mixed media on canvas, 36x40 in.
INSPIRATION
This painting grew from my life in the equestrian world, where horses mirror our inner lives. Using layered acrylic washes, graphite line, pastel, oil-stick marks, and intentional drips, the horse slowly emerges from the surface.
I’m interested in what is revealed through process—the strength, vulnerability, and quiet resilience that live beneath imperfect layers. In that way, the work reflects the exhibit theme “Revealing Our Magnificent”—the idea that our truest beauty appears not in perfection, but in what we uncover through time, trust, and courage.
ARTIST STATEMENT
As an abstract artist, my work explores the interplay of color, form, and texture to create a visual language that speaks to the complexity of the human experience. My paintings are a study in movement and quiet strength—nature-rooted abstractions built through layered marks, fluid gestures, and soft shifts of color. Each piece holds a subtle tension between chaos and calm, echoing landscapes, memory, and emotion.
Through a process of layering, scraping, and intuitively manipulating materials, I aim to evoke depth, rhythm, and a sense of quiet energy that invites the viewer inward. The textures, drips, and expressive marks reveal the story of the painting’s evolution—what is added, what is uncovered, and what is allowed to remain. My inspiration comes from the world around me and the world within me: the natural environment, the movement of horses, shifting light, and the internal landscape of thoughts and emotions.
I believe art can communicate what words often cannot. My intention is to create work that is visually compelling and emotionally resonant—paintings that offer grounding, reflection, and a subtle sense of expansion. Ultimately, my goal is to create a space for contemplation, where viewers can connect with the work on a personal level and experience a moment of stillness, recognition, or wonder.
Through my art, I hope to encourage curiosity and invite others to explore their own inner worlds and the natural world around them in new, more spacious ways. Each piece becomes an invitation—to pause, to breathe, and to feel the quiet power living in the layers.
Tara Verkuil, Distance, acrylic with mixed media on canvas, 36x40 in.
INSPIRATION
This painting grew from my life in the equestrian world, where horses mirror our inner lives. Using layered acrylic washes, graphite line, pastel, oil-stick marks, and intentional drips, the horse slowly emerges from the surface.
I’m interested in what is revealed through process—the strength, vulnerability, and quiet resilience that live beneath imperfect layers. In that way, the work reflects the exhibit theme “Revealing Our Magnificent”—the idea that our truest beauty appears not in perfection, but in what we uncover through time, trust, and courage.
ARTIST STATEMENT
As an abstract artist, my work explores the interplay of color, form, and texture to create a visual language that speaks to the complexity of the human experience. My paintings are a study in movement and quiet strength—nature-rooted abstractions built through layered marks, fluid gestures, and soft shifts of color. Each piece holds a subtle tension between chaos and calm, echoing landscapes, memory, and emotion.
Through a process of layering, scraping, and intuitively manipulating materials, I aim to evoke depth, rhythm, and a sense of quiet energy that invites the viewer inward. The textures, drips, and expressive marks reveal the story of the painting’s evolution—what is added, what is uncovered, and what is allowed to remain. My inspiration comes from the world around me and the world within me: the natural environment, the movement of horses, shifting light, and the internal landscape of thoughts and emotions.
I believe art can communicate what words often cannot. My intention is to create work that is visually compelling and emotionally resonant—paintings that offer grounding, reflection, and a subtle sense of expansion. Ultimately, my goal is to create a space for contemplation, where viewers can connect with the work on a personal level and experience a moment of stillness, recognition, or wonder.
Through my art, I hope to encourage curiosity and invite others to explore their own inner worlds and the natural world around them in new, more spacious ways. Each piece becomes an invitation—to pause, to breathe, and to feel the quiet power living in the layers.