“As to the question of what is art and what is craft….for me the art lies in the workmanship of the piece itself. My goal is to strike a balance between design and workmanship, so the work stands strongly. The line between art or craft is then completely blurred.”
Tara is known as a fine artist and skilled technician. She was raised in the Southwest and this influence is reflected in her designs.
Her techniques are exacting and require precision control. The work takes long hours to complete at times, and each is a unique piece.
A sandblasting process is used to etch the glass, with aluminum oxide as the grit and not sand, as the process implies. It allows for deeper carving and creates a professional finish.
The glass is covered with a resist material, which protects it from the impact of the sandblasting abrasive, and then the artwork is drawn upon the surface. The design is hand cut with an Exacto knife prior to being placed in the sandblasting cabinet to finish. Areas of the glass are sequentially sandblasted in succession.
Tara has won numerous awards and recognitions, among them “Women’s International Year Award” presented at the United States Military Academy’s first fine art show in 1975, designated ‘The Year of the Woman’.
Part of the year she puts on her other hat for ‘Mouse House Designs Studio’ and to the delight of her grandchildren, dusts off her magic cape and makes utterly delightful whimsical grandmotherly things.
She resides and works in Goffstown, New Hampshire.