Tara Garrigan

Artist Statement

Tara creates with the intent to mesmerize and inspire. Her art is generally whimsical, vibrant, imaginative, and always leaves the viewer with a story to contemplate. She works in all mediums but mainly creates in watercolor and ink. More than anything, Tara's work is inspired by her vivid dreams and the mysteries of the universe. She often finds that her most recurring themes are trees, aquatic life, imaginary creatures, and organically-shaped buildings. She also enjoys finding inspiration from other artists around the globe while drinking tea and browsing magazines at the bookstore.

Artist Bio

Tara always dreamed of being a cartoonist, of having her own cartoon series that people would watch. Like many young artists, she drew constantly. And she wrote stories for books she someday hoped to publish. Tara later attended The Savannah College of Art and Design for Sequential Art, to foster two of her loves, drawing and writing. Tara has had the pleasure of teaching art to the children of Savannah; during her time as co-owner of Scribble Art Studio and as a teacher for Loop-It-Up Savannah. These opportunities also introduced her to the wonderful writers and environmental advocates who wrote the Captain Savannah children's book series. Tara teamed up with Emily Slusher and Angela Kakabeeke to illustrate their first two stories.

Through her mural company, The Makers Guild, Tara has collaborated on digitally illustrating a series of murals for Memorial Health Children’s Hospital. Many of the murals she designs and paints are geared towards a young audience and are often educational. Learn more about them here.

*Tara is a member of Kids Comics Unite and the local liaison for the Southern Breeze Region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators

Find Tara’s work: Portfolio, SCBWI page, instagram, YouTube