Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Bullington.
Hi Tara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up knowing that I was and would be an artist. I earned my BFA in painting/sculpture at the University of Alabama, then moved to Los Angeles after graduation. I was settling into the local art scene with a few shows and exhibitions when I moved back to Alabama for personal reasons. For a while, I worked in the family Lumber business while successfully selling large decorative paintings as a side gig. When I moved to Memphis to get my BFA at Memphis College of Art, I expanded my ideas and theory of aesthetics and focused less on the ‘prettiness’ and more on the content. (This is where my dad says my art went to hell in a hand basket) I started blending my 2D and 3D work to create installations that weren’t necessarily marketable, but I loved them. I had a few excellent solos right after moving back to North Alabama but had to return to work full-time. So, I went back to painting at night and still making pretty things, but I was also slowly building more personal work with my sculptures. I worked primarily in the wire while incorporating antiquarian objects into my work. I eventually spent more time in my studio once my father retired from his business and became an art professor at the University of North Alabama. I still teach some distance Art Appreciation courses. Working with students was inspiring, and there was just enough structure to keep me functioning well. I’ve never enjoyed a 9-5 office job, although I’ve spent about 12 years doing that. It’s that state of inertia that makes me crazy. Since I moved to Austin, I began lecturing in person on art appreciation while still teaching it online at two colleges in Alabama. Covid had changed me, and I needed that connection with the students again. It took some time, but I’ve finally started working in my studio again and installed a solo show at the University of North Alabama. Art has always been a love-hate with me. I go through stages of complete denial; then, I re-emerge into a state of creativity. It’s very frustrating to want to create on a much grander scale than I can afford time-wise I can. I miss the days of grad school, working 9-10 hours a day in my studio with nothing to worry about besides my work. Maybe one day, I’ll find a magic patron to allow me to focus on my work, rather than the boring things like making a living, grocery shopping, and all of the domestic things that take so much time away from my imagination. Also, here’s the bio I used for the show at UNA; in case I missed anything, feel free to pick and choose from any of this. I could improve talking seriously about myself;).
Artist Tara Bullington (1972) is an Aquarius, Meyers-Briggs type INTP and a number 5 on the Enneagram chart. She has lived an exciting yet random life so far. She grew up in Littleville, AL, before moving to Tuscaloosa to earn a BFA in Painting and Sculpture. (Her mentor there was Al Sella.) After graduation, she moved to Los Angeles, CA, to pursue art and gain valuable life experience. And, although she never had to wait in line at any cool clubs and she had hung out with some famous actors and musicians, Tara’s parents felt she best return home. (This was when she attended a different kind of educational interlude which lasted only 28 days.) When her soulmate, Henri (a beautiful merle-colored Great Dane), suddenly died of bloat, she ran away to grad school at Memphis College of Art to get her master’s degree. Upon graduation, Tara won the MCA Travelling Grant to explore London and check out the YBAs until her money ran out. It was grand. When she returned to Littleville to live in the pond house and focus on her work, her dad told her it would be cool if she found a job. Tara had a lot of experience in the work field. Over the years, she had been a shoe stylist for a Stride Rite commercial, a hostess at the world-famous Swingers Café, and a painter of yellow stripes on the parking lot, but nothing stuck. So, for the next 8 or 9 years, Tara worked for her dad at his Lumber and Treating corporation, conveniently located in Littleville, AL. In 2004, T moved to Florence, Alabama, where she ultimately began teaching studio foundations at UNA and NWSCC. When Covid struck, Tara decided it seemed like a great time to leave her friends and family to move across the country and buy a house with her boyfriend. Somehow, things worked out, as they always seem to do. She took up yoga and trail running as she settled into Austin, which seemed to be the perfect middle ground between LA and Littleville. She even lectures a few times a week for Austin Community College. It took a while, but she started meeting new friends, making contemporary art, and eventually putting together a show. This is it.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Oh, I may have already touched on that. My greatest obstacle, besides myself, is supporting myself. It’s tough to start a painting or a sculpture and have it in the back of your mind whether you’ll be able to be paid for all of the hours that will go into it. It’s more interesting to create something purely for these creations rather than hoping people might like it. It must be wonderful to have a warehouse studio and plenty of funds to buy the needed materials. I have always loved large-scale art and would love to work on a greater scale and use the materials I want.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I have always worked autonomously, drawing from memories and emotions. I let my hands do the work while my brain recycles and interprets my thoughts and feelings. Whether the work is nonrepresentational or symbolic, it’s about the ‘essence,’ and the viewer is invited to self-reflect. I rarely make work that has a message. My favorite works are usually inspired by a feeling or a poem I’ve read. I love philosophy and mythology, so much of that stuff is usually floating around in my head. Although I have sold many paintings, I am more recognized as a Sculptor. I prefer working in three dimensions most of the time. But I get bored doing the same thing repeatedly, so I constantly change my style. I often joke that I am the ‘Sybil’ of the art world (showing my age here), but my portfolio does look more like a collection of random artists than one person. If I were to put together a show of my favorite pieces, it would likely seem like a group show that used a common theme.
We’d like to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I don’t believe in luck. Good and bad surprises come, but everything depends on how you react to it. I enjoy the excellent surprises without taking them for granted because who knows what will happen next. When what some may consider bad luck happens, it causes me to think in a different direction and usually comes out even better in the end. I am very fortunate to have wonderful family and friends who support me, which is essential in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: tarabullington.com
- Instagram: @tarabullington
Image Credits
Abraham Rowe, Photographer
