In Conversation with Local Artists: Tara Harris
Share
Our current series on the Selly Manor Museum blog involves interviewing artists from Bournville, Birmingham and the surrounding areas, finding out about their creative processes and inspirations, their views on Bournville and its community, and their upcoming projects and exhibitions. Selly Manor is keen to spotlight local artists who keep our community a vibrant and dynamic place to live.
Next to be interviewed is local artist Tara Harris, who embraces the surrealist method of automatic painting to create her dreamlike, abstract works.
Artist Tara Harris
Q1: Could you tell us a little about yourself and your work as an artist?
"I paint because it gives me a way of escaping reality for a while. I get completely absorbed in using the creative part of my brain. When I’m painting, it never feels like a job or a chore. I can lose hours in it without noticing. That feeling of being completely in the flow is probably my biggest motivation.
I am a Birmingham-based painter, and I paint the presence of landscapes rather than simply trying to represent what they look like. I don’t usually start with a fixed idea of what a painting is going to be. I begin with unconscious mark-making, putting paint down and seeing where it leads me. From there, it becomes a very instinctive process — I like it, I don’t like it. I keep it, I change it, I paint over it. The painting develops through those decisions rather than following a predetermined plan.
For me, painting is like trying to solve a really difficult jigsaw when you don’t know what the finished picture is supposed to be. You’re constantly searching for the piece that makes everything else make sense. Sometimes you find it immediately; sometimes you can work on a painting for days before something suddenly clicks.
I paint every day. It’s become a habit, but also a creative itch I have to scratch. I’m interested in the point where a painting moves away from being a literal landscape and becomes something of its own — a feeling, a memory, an atmosphere or simply a presence."
'Nocturnal Bloom' by Tara Harris
Q2: How does Bournville (and/or the surrounding areas) inspire your work?
"I live in Kings Heath but have my studio in Stirchley. It’s run by Birmingham South Studios and is situated just off Maryvale Road, close to Bournville train station.
My connection with Bournville goes back to when I was very young. My parents lived in Cotteridge, where I was born, and although I was too young to remember much myself, I’ve heard the stories over the years — my mum pushing me in my pushchair to meet my dad at the Cadbury’s factory. My dad worked there for a while, so Cadbury’s and Bournville were very much part of my early family life.
Later, when I was 16, I returned to the area to study at Bournville School of Art, where I was from 1985 to 1987. At the time, the school was based at Ruskin Hall by the Green. After two years there, I moved to Newcastle to study Fine Art.
The connection I have with Bournville feels like a loop. I started my art education there, left art for many years, and now that I’ve returned to painting, I have a studio nearby."
'Lisa' by Tara Harris
Q3: Bournville is surrounded by both green spaces and city scape – how do each of these influence your work?
"Although I don’t paint real places, both cityscape and landscape often appear in my paintings. I’m interested in the duality of living in an urban environment while being surrounded by nature.
I often paint structures within landscapes, so there’s a natural tension between the built and the organic — buildings, trees, paths and open spaces. I like that contrast and the way the two can exist together rather than feeling completely separate.
I also think green spaces makes us feel happier. There’s something about being surrounded by the colour green that changes how you feel."
Q4: Is there a particular piece of local history or heritage that you find yourself drawn to? Why do you think this is?
"For me, that place is Moseley Bog. There’s something about being amongst the trees that I find really comforting. I’m very aware of the changing seasons, and I love listening to the birdsong. I often find myself stopping to look closely at a tree or some fungi.
I think that’s what local heritage means to me — not just the history of a place, but the fact that these natural spaces are still here for us to experience. Moseley Bog makes me stop and be in the moment. The changing seasons are also a reminder that nothing stays the same, which feels particularly relevant after returning to painting after a gap of thirty years."
'Tiger Trees' by Tara Harris
Q5: Why do you think art is important to the local community?
"For me, art is my way of being creative. I think we all have a creative side — it’s just a question of how we choose to express it.
Even when I was a teacher, creativity was a big part of what I did. I was always thinking of ways to make the curriculum fun and memorable by finding creative ways for children to learn.
When I first started my own art journey, becoming part of a creative community made a huge difference to me. I joined local art groups, went along to art markets and exhibitions, and started talking to other artists and creatives. Becoming involved with United Artists of South Birmingham (UASB) was an important part of that journey too. It gave me the opportunity to meet people, share ideas and feel part of something.
That’s why I think art is so important to a local community. It creates opportunities for people to come together, make connections and share something of themselves. You don’t have to be a skilled artist to take part — sometimes just having the opportunity to be creative, meet people and feel included can make a real difference."
Q6: How do you feel your art connects with the people of Bournville/Birmingham? Or how do the people of Bournville/Birmingham connect with your work?
"I think people connect with my work in different ways. My paintings aren’t immediately easy to read, and I like that. I want them to reveal themselves more slowly, with layers and details becoming more apparent the longer you spend with them. With that time, other things can happen too — emotions, memories and associations can surface.
There are recurring ideas in my work around portals, dreamlike spaces, memory and change. I’m interested in creating paintings that feel familiar but also slightly off-kilter — somewhere between a landscape you recognise and somewhere that exists in your imagination.
I like the fact that people can bring their own experiences to the paintings. Someone might see a place, a memory or a feeling that I hadn’t consciously put there. I don’t necessarily want to tell people what they should see; I’m more interested in giving them something to explore and allowing their own response to become part of the work.
I hope people in Bournville and across Birmingham can find something of their own experience in the paintings, even though I’m not necessarily painting specific local places. It might be a feeling of living amongst the city and nature, a sense of familiarity, or simply the opportunity to pause and spend a little time with something that makes them curious.
I’m proud to be a Birmingham artist. For me, that connection isn’t necessarily about painting recognisable Birmingham landmarks. It’s about being part of this place and allowing my experience of living here to inevitably find its way into how I see, think and make work."
'Someday' by Tara Harris
Q7: Do you have a favourite artwork that you’ve created that you could talk us through?
"'Gigolo' is one of my favourite pieces because of the way it came about. I created it while listening to a jazz track called ‘Gigal’. I had been contacted by the Swiss jazz band Gipsey Tonics, who commissioned me to create a painting for each track on their new album Mixology.
I wanted the paintings to respond to the music rather than simply illustrate it, so the movement, energy and mood of the jazz fed into the way I painted. In this piece, I was thinking about nature, weather and emotional turmoil. There’s a sense of something shifting or unsettled, with the darker forms contrasting with the more turbulent, colourful areas of the painting.
The piece was originally shown in my duo exhibition Inner Worlds and was then selected to be shown at Svth Circle Art Gallery in Digbeth, where it is currently for sale.
I’m particularly proud of what this piece represents for me. This year I’ve had the opportunity to work with a jazz band, take part in a duo exhibition and have my work represented in a Birmingham gallery. It feels like a real part of my journey as an artist, and I’m pleased that the work is finding its way into different parts of Birmingham’s creative community."
'Gigolo' by Tara Harris
Q8: What is next for you – do you have any upcoming projects or exhibitions that you’re excited about?
"There’s quite a lot happening for me at the moment. I’m taking part in the Vista group show, and I also have work in Surreal Solihull at the MAC, alongside some seriously talented fellow West Midlands artists. I think both shows really showcase the incredible talent we have across the region, and I’m proud to be part of that.
Then, in November, I’ll be having my own solo exhibition, Unmapped, at the Birmingham Midland Institute. I’m really looking forward to that because it gives me the opportunity to bring a larger body of work together and explore some of the ideas that run through my paintings in more depth.
It’s an exciting time for me as an artist. I’m enjoying being part of Birmingham’s creative community and seeing where the work takes me next."
Many thanks to Tara for giving us a fascinating insight into how her works come together and what inspires her to create. If you would like to find out more about Tara and see more of her work, head to her website at www.taraharrisart.co.uk or follow her on Instagram, @tara_harris_art
Written by Niamh Reid, Museum Assistant