Today we’d like to introduce you to Tarah Boyd
Hi Tarah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Art has always been a primary focus and theme in my life. I have been creative ever since I can remember. But, as far as pursuing a career in art, I suppose it begun with my journey at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design where I graduated with my BFA. Since then my focus in art has varied. I started working in graphic design and continue to do so from time to time. Shortly after starting a family of my own, I became self employed to accommodate the my love and time towards my growing family with a continued passion and discipline for my art. While I enjoyed my graphic design journey, shortly before my daughter was born, I wanted to get more hands-on with my creative projects. That is when my fiber art career journey begun. Now that I am well settled into my 10 year concentration in the fiber arts, I have had the pleasure and privilege of showing my art in gallery settings, teaching fiber art methods in the local DMV area, being nominated and featured as “Baltimore’s Best Fiber Artist” in Baltimore Magazine, designing and creating store front window displays for local business, vending at various events in Maryland and more.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Finding exactly where my passion lies in my own creative method took some years to settle into, but I would not describe that as a struggle so much; I more so see it as a part of the process and journey. However, I would say my biggest hurdle has been the major shift that the pandemic brought on. My momentum in sales overall had certainly slowed. But even though that has changed, I continue to still feel relevant as a local fiber artist as I continue to get various inquiries about me and the art I make. Plus, I’m taking this slower pace as time to reflect of the season (or era) that my life is currently in.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My expertise is in macrame, tufting, weaving and latch hook. All methods play a role in the way I create fiber art. I often enjoy to combine these fiber art methods. Recently, I have been working to implement the live human figure into my studies and practice. However, that hasn’t found its way into my more traditional fiber art work. As I explore the possibilities of rope plus the human form, I have found myself working and collaborating with local photographers, and that has been new and exciting.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid-19 is probably the main reason I begun to implement the human figure into my fiber studies. Despite my continuous involvement in the community (such as teaching, performing demonstrations, vending, etc), working as a self employed artist became a bit lonely; hence why I begun to work with live models. However, that didn’t discourage my art production, it just allowed me to find a way to pivot my focus and find new way to keep creating.
Pricing:
- Im not sure I understand this section…
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oreandwool.com (conservative fiber art page); www.ropexrah.com (not so conservative fiber art page…)
- Instagram: @ore.and.wool; @ropexrah
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oreandwool
