tara

mirkar

Tara Mirkar is an encaustic artist and life long creative working from her home studio in Raleigh, NC. She obtained degrees at Eckerd College for Psychology and Visual Arts. Her first career is as a psychotherapist in Raleigh and her second career of painting picked up momentum as motherhood responsibilities eased. She has been painting with encaustics since 2014. She is an Artist Member at Artspace in Raleigh and an exhibiting member of the Charleston Artist Guild in Charleston South Carolina since 2024. Tara is also conducting Art Retreats around the US for creatives wanting to connect and support each other while playing with torches and encaustics. To see a sampling of her work visit: www.TaraMirkar.com

My childhood was filled with tropical flora, fauna and creative play in sunny South Florida. I have always been intrigued by the process of growth and change in nature. A new bloom, root or bud of a new leaf fill me with joyful anticipation. Today, my art practice feels very similar, as I watch a painting grow and bloom. My love of plants and access to my mom's art supplies, would shape my future in ways I could not then know. ​ This innate pleasure and curiosity led to a degree in Visual Arts and exploration of multiple mediums: painting, drawing, photography, clay sculpture, throwing, and raku. The unfolding of my career as a psychotherapist and motherhood, left little time for my art joy but filled my soul in equally beautiful ways. Life has gifted me with 3 phenomenal children, that now along with my husband and friends, support me in pursuing my creative journey! I have found my way back to my artsy roots! In 2014, I discovered a new medium, encaustic! It's a precise blending of three primary natural elements: pure beeswax, damar tree resin, and powdered earth pigments. The resulting depth and translucence are unique to encaustic and offer infinite possibilities. Watching it melt, burn and cool is quite calming. When the elements are combined at the right temperature, amounts, and timing the product is pure magic! ​ When I am not gardening or in my orchid grow room, I am typically in my studio with Lola (my studio assistant an English Bulldog) torching my ingredients to see how a painting will evolve. I'm sharing my journey and resulting art work. Come see what's growing in the studio!

Encaustic, Mixed Media, Pen/Ink, Photography, Pottery/Raku

https://TaraMirkar.com