ART IS A CONVERSATION
Artist's Statement
Hello Weirdo!
My name is Tara and I'm a witch who makes dark and peculiar portraits. My medium is photography and digital art. Photoshop is my cauldron. My lenses are my wands. And people, props, light, shadow, and costumes are my spell ingredients.
I focus my intense curiosity on cultivating a collaborative and creative world to explore themes of power, growth, and identity. Not one of us is just one thing. We are multi-layered and complex individuals capable of great things. Allowing ourselves to step into our power, learning from our mistakes and discovering who we are in our lives, is a life-time journey. It is ever evolving.
My role as a photographer is to help you shine your brightest light. To support you in sharing a piece of yourself, of your story, in portraits that hang in your home and remind you of your capacity for magic.
My role as a digital artist is to show you what is possible. I hope you see that there is potential in your darkness, room for you to evolve, and power in being your authentic, strange self. You are magic in human form.
Nothing in the world is the way it oughta be. It’s harsh…and cruel…but that’s why there’s us…champions. It doesn’t matter where we come from, what we’ve done, or suffered. Or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be.
— Angel, Angel TV Show
Artist's Bio
Tara McDermott is a fine art photographer and digital artist living in Saskatchewan, Canada. Drawing on motifs from fantasy, pop culture, and music, Tara casts dramatic spells with her images that explore the depths of emotion and the layers of the soul, revealing that there is always magic, always hope, to be found. Continuously following her curiosity, Tara seeks to imbue her work with a sense of mystery, leaving space for the viewer’s imagination to join the conversation. She hopes that her work pushes people out of their comfort zones and into a world of possibilities.
Education > Experience
I value my curiosity, and my continual growth, so I am always learning new skills and tools for my craft.
Certifications
2018 - 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training, Prana Yoga Studio and Akhanda Yoga
2022 - Cinema 4D S22 CGI For Photographers, Maxon > PRO EDU
2022 - Peer Support Training Course, Peaks to Pines > River Valley Resilience Retreat (RVRR)
In-Person Workshops
2023 Highland Heart, Offbeat Photo, Cape Breton Island, NS
2023 Land > See, Charlottetown, PEI
2021 Character, Dave Brosha > Wayne Simpson, Winnipeg, MB
2020 Portrait in High Places, Offbeat Photo, Banff, AB
2020 SEEN, Dave Brosha Photography, Edmonton, AB
Virtual Workshops
2022 Impact in Focus, Brooke Shaden
2022, Storyteller, Dave Brosha Photography
2022, Storyteller Portrait, Dave Brosha Photography
2021 Creative Self Portraiture, Sharon Covert Photography
2021 The Critique Sessions, Dave Brosha Photography
2021 Land > See
2021, Creative Weaver, Sharon Covert Photography
2020 Land > See
Awards
2021
Mushroom World
Fine Art Fairytale Contest
Prize: Album from nPhoto Lab
2021
The Tenebrism Tarot Project
Offbeat Photo's Year of Personal Growth
Prize: Attendance at an Offbeat Photo Canadian Workshop
2022
Witch
The Portrait Masters
Prize: Bronze Award, Professional Standard
2022
Zombie
The Portrait Masters
Prize: Bronze Award, Professional Standard
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