Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tara Gillespie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Over the last four years, my art has matured to become more than just something beautiful to view. As my works are layered in materials, they are also layered in meaning and many now incorporate mindfulness concepts. I think this was a result of the anxiety and stress I felt during covid and my finding value in mindfulness practices. Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. While mindfulness is something we all naturally possess, it’s more readily available to us when we practice on a daily basis. My art pieces are here to help. For example, I created my Mini Manifestation series. These are small 6×6” fluid art and resin pieces meant to mimic a smoky crystal ball. On the surface there are several resin layers to peer into as if you’re searching for your answers or future. On the reverse, I adhered a manifestation affirmation, such as “I have the freedom and power to create the life I desire.” The manifestation affirmations are all different, but they are each positive statements made regarding what you would like to manifest in your life. This includes different aspects of your life including finances, love, and health. I recommend displaying your Mini Manifestation piece in a space you visit frequently, giving yourself a daily reminder of what you’re working on. In this way, I say that the Mini Manifestation pieces were designed to bring your dreams and goals closer. Similarly, I also have a Gemstone series where the art pieces are created to mimic a specific gemstone, like rubies or opals, using fluid art, resin, and iridescent paper sculpture. These pieces are created to remind the viewer of the qualities of the stone. For example, the meaning of Amethyst is spiritual healing, calmness, and wisdom. And I believe that in displaying a gemstone piece in your space, you are manifesting those qualities. I also recently completed a large installation art piece with mindfulness and community in mind. This 40×60” piece is currently installed in the Femme Fatale store in Washington, DC. It’s called “Pick A Piece of the Rainbow,” and features a fluid art and resin painting, with the text “Trust Your Vibes,” printed on it. This first layer is covered by 126 individual 4×4” art pieces. The idea is as the individual pieces are chosen and taken off, the community message to all is revealed underneath. In this way, I hope everyone participating feels connected as they each chose a piece of the rainbow. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the 4×4” pieces each have a manifestation affirmation card adhered on the back and are magnets! I call them “Mindful Magnets.”
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Tara Gillespie (b.1983, Baltimore, MD) is an abstract artist with a passion for contemporary art. Her studio is based in Timonium, MD.
My business, Dream Topography, became official in November 2021 and was the result of what I consider my art therapy during my teaching years and covid. Prior to covid, I was teaching writing and research full time at two different schools – University of Baltimore and CCBC. My world was very cerebral as I spent my time reading, researching, and grading my student’s papers. I felt deeply that I needed to create something with my hands again to balance. I have always been an artist – Throughout my life I’ve created visual art, films, and written works. So during this time, in 2018, I started mixing my own acrylic paints and experimenting with resin, amongst other materials, and my practice has evolved since. At first, my art was just for me so I could take a break from reading/research. However, during covid, I had to stop teaching to be available at home full time for my daughter. I am also a single mom and she was navigating online kindergarten. I continued to paint in my basement at night and finished about 30 pieces. I finally shared my paintings on Facebook about a year later and received a great response from family/friends who were interested in my process and purchasing artworks. I realized that what I was doing could possibly create more income than going back to my teaching career so post-covid I went all in. My daughter and I were living with my parents in the home where I grew up. I invested all the money I’d set aside for us to get our own space into Dream Topography. The first step was renting out a warehouse and renovating the space so I could create daily and teach fluid art classes. I’m proud to say, this was accomplished in my first year.
In my second year, I have been more concerned with joining the fine art festival circuit and expanding so I can reach more people with my work. I have now participated in several festivals including The American Craft Made Convention 2023, the VisArts’ Rockville Arts Festival, FaerieCon, and The Chevy Chase Fine Art Festival. Select pieces of my work are currently on display, and available for purchase, in the Femme Fatale DC store in Washington DC. And I now take my fluid art class on the road teaching in multiple locations including Hillendale Country Club and Manor Mill in Monkton, MD.
My artistic vision is to capture the mystery and beauty of dreams to inspire feeling and offer escape. I call my work “Dream Topography” because I exploit the properties of paint and resin to make ethereal works that mimic and transcend reality. Dreams alone are abstract and curious. In entertaining our dreams we are engaging in fantasy, often seeking distraction or relief from unpleasant realities. In viewing my work I want to invite people to escape their realities and embrace their reveries. Each piece is multidimensional for this purpose. Through observation you are encouraged to wander with your eyes, seemingly falling into a daydream.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
There are two aspects. One is the gift of the creative process – I feel lucky to be there in my mind day after day. It has opened me and made me feel more appreciative to the beauty of the world because I feel inspired by nearly everything nowadays. This makes me more emotional as a person. It can be misplaced sometimes, for example I don’t want to shed a tear in line at the grocery store because the colors of the flowers in the store are vibrant, but it does happen now. Overall though, I feel happy and grateful that I can feel inspired by anything – music, nature, color, or even odd things like how the cream in my coffee swirls around. Everything just reminds me of my art.
The second aspect is sharing my work with others. Whenever I take my art into the festival scene I get to meet people and see their reactions. There’s nothing better than that conversation where I feel, “Oh! They get it!” This has created a Dream Topography community – we’re all dreamy sorts of quirky people.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
So I recently learned that “dopamine decor” is a thing, and it’s decorating your home with pieces that make you happy and show your personality. If you come from a home where nobody has bought art and nobody has valued buying art and you think of it as something that’s unnecessarily expensive and useless, I would challenge you to think about it as…how much does art uplift your life? In fact, art is the most valuable thing there is. Art is beauty. Art is inspiration. The most valuable thing I can do is decorate my home in a way that makes me happy because it’s the place I spend the most time and that comes with a price. I’m happy to pay it because I know what it does for my health. Art is important and art is an energetic upgrade of your home. Detaching yourself from the “art isn’t anything” to thinking “this is an upgrade” is a little re-frame. Having art in your space upgrades your life because you get to look at it every single day and it enriches your life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dreamtopography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taragill_art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DreamTopography
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dreamtopography1376
- Other: Etsy store link – https://www.etsy.com/shop/DreamTopography