Artist Tara Jon Manning (b. 1968, Plainfield, NJ) has been making things ever since she can remember. Tara (pronounced “Tah-Ruh”) started knitting at age eight, and was painting & stitching before then. With a jazz musician father and a spiritual seeker mom, her childhood was far from conventional. When she was a small child, her dad was on tour with Fred Waring - bandleader, songwriter and early television personality - and later with Kaleidoscope, an American show band. Tara and her mom accompanied him on the road and she saw first-hand the magnetism between art and audience. During these travels her parents were kind enough to always visit the art museum in each city. During these visits, Tara learned the magic in art, the feelings it elicits and the experience of finding herself inside the world of a painting.
As a young adult, through the study of eastern arts such as tea ceremony and brush calligraphy, she was introduced to the contemplative aspects of the practice of art. After she graduated from college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Tara created a small, bespoke line of baby clothing. She then completed a Masters degree in apparel/textile design & fiber arts, and several designs from her thesis collection were published in knitting magazines. She continued to publish her designs and essays in many books, magazines and the collections of yarn companies.
Just before the turn of the 21st century, Tara co-operated Over the Moon Cafe & Mercantile in Longmont, Colorado. One of the country’s first “knit cafes,” it was there she began to offer fiber art classes and workshops. Now, Tara has shifted her focus from design and publishing back to her fine arts roots. Tara is currently exploring wool as a fine art medium, and makes textured and dimensional pieces featuring landscapes, daydreams and every day objects. Through texture and color, her work coveys sense of place and the stories that live in the world all around us. Her art is on display at pARTiculars Gallery in Lafayette, Colorado, where she is a Member Artists. She looks forward to continuing to publish and shares her passion through instruction in felt making, contemplative craft and stitching arts.
Please contact Tara with art inquiries, design & teaching requests. Email: tarajonmanning@gmail.com. Please direct publishing inquiries/author requests to The Linda Roghaar Literary Agency.
ARTISTS STATEMENT
My love of deep texture, creating color and comfort are the core of my work. My life as a maker began when I was a small child when I painted and stitched on everything. I used to think I needed to pick one medium and stick with it. Now I realize I can do all the things all at the same time. I love to combine paint, stitch textiles and woolcraft. I acknowledge that the flow state itself is a co-creator of everything I make, and the contemplative aspect of making moves me forward. I also find nourishment through teaching others to make with their hands. The synergy of sharing my passion coaxes my own curiosity and evolution.
