Tauna Cole, Artist

Artist Statement

My paintings and works on paper, for the last twenty-plus years have mainly dealt with place, the physical and mental spaces as a major theme for creating works. I relate this theme to my childhood, growing up on a wheat farm. The open spaces allowed me to look outward towards the landscape while internally my mind was busy constructing concepts in understanding reality that formed early impressions of my identity. My paintings have explored compositions to show the contrasts between place and physical or mental spaces through abstracted shapes or design motifs juxtaposed with representational images, activating the background through their interaction, thus becoming more symbolic in their meaning. The external and internal references are controlled in different ways; alternating their placement within the composition through the perspective of the image or by eliminating any external references to place. Most recently, my work has been influenced by a practice of meditating and then painting. This practice brings more physical awareness to my body and mind that subconsciously is revealed through abstract compositions. The meditation paintings have guided me back to the pool with a shift in my perception of the ego and continued interest in meditation and mindfulness through movement shifts in the imagery. As I look outward towards the water, my focus is on the inner connections the physical space provides through color, sound, and sensations felt through the body. Both the mediation paintings and the waterscapes are a practice of giving up control, allowing the mind to be free of any kind of attachment to the imagery and allowing the subconscious and conscious to inform each other in the act of creating.​