Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Tarrant

Tara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

I learned the art of sandblast engraving from a friend’s mom when I was eighteen years old. I acquired my own sandblast cabinet and started making engravings for my friends and family. Many years later, the demand grew so I decided to turn my hobby into a business. As the demand grew, I decided that I needed to take my business mobile, so I acquired the on site equipment, thus opening my business up to many more job opportunities. I’ve been in business for over twenty years now.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

The design part of it has always been pretty fun and smooth. The only struggles that immediately come to mind, would be in the learning curve area of how the process works and what type of mistakes can be made and prevented. It’s taken many years to learn the way different materials etch and react with paint and weathering. Experience is definitely an asset in this line of work. I work on materials that require that they are engraved properly the first time, as making a mistake is not an option when working on permanent concrete, fabricated granite slabs or irreplaceable pieces.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar with you, can you tell them about what you do?

I am a professional sandblast engraver located in San Diego, CA. I specialize in name engraving on donor walls, Veteran walls, and fundraising ventures for churches, schools, and foundations. I also create a lot of address signage, engrave on site on boulders, last name closing gifts for real estate agents, logos for business and anything you could ever want personalized in a stone. Some projects in California that I have been blessed to be a part of are, Nickelodeon Studios in Los Angeles, where we etched a ten foot wide life size image of the Ninja Turtles. This is where the scaling of the business reached new heights and more and more concrete engraving demand starting coming in. We created large bird feather images at The Tijuana Estuary, a thirty foot map of the Santa Ana Watershed in San Bernardino, as well as jobs in Long Beach, Orange County and many local works in San Diego. Poway’s Tony Gwynn Memorial at Lake Poway, Mt. Soledad’s Veteran Memorial, UCSD, The Hillel Center of La Jolla, The Port of San Diego, The Port of Long Beach, Balboa Park, Freedom Station, over 3000 names and scripture at The Legacy Center in Mission Valley, many local donor projects for schools, churches, foundations and organizations in San Diego, among many others over the twenty years of service to the community.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?

My friends mom TLC, she has been the inspiration to how I’ve found my legacy and passion in this creative field. And to God, who’s will has been a blessing to me.

Pricing:

• Varies on size and amount of etching

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lajollastoneetching.com
• Instagram: @lajollastoneetching

Image Credits

N/A