My name is Tara Swan.

Yep, just like the bird.

When people meet me in person, they see a bubbly, always smiling individual with so much energy that can't be contained.  But, interestingly enough, my art embraces more edgy, deeper, and many times darker subject matter.  They are the emotions that I hold deep within that can only be truly described through still imagery.  Loud emotion in a frozen moment.  And what better way to show given emotion than to work with other artists who can translate these emotions for me. Within their body language, facial expressions, art pieces, and designs.  And because of this, I truly find portraiture and natural landscapes to be my life.  The people themselves and the nature around the inspirations for all my work.

I can truly say that photography saved my life.  All through my adolescence when schools and educational systems began to take childhood and mold it into something society could work with, I was left out.  I was the student that was so different than most that I was the lone partner on a project, the last student to be called on a team, the sad kid that sat in a library behind a book.  So when in sophomore year, my classmates began answering the question what they wanted to be when they grew up, I was giving up.  I was letting go of hope because all I had to support me was the care my family and love the few close friends gave me.  And even they had no idea what I was to be when I got older; asking the same question that society had been wondering about ever since I walked into my school years.  Until art came into my life.
When I entered the art school that picked me up out of the normal, I found a life I wanted and a spark was lit.  The chance to create and make and express the pain I had been holding for so god damn long.  Photography and design allowed me to create storylines in the details and the freedom to decide for ME.

Today, I still create and share pain.  But I am now free to express other emotions that well up inside me.  Awe, wonder, love, happiness, courage, strength, fear, anger, hurt, life...
All of it.
And to share it with you..

- Explore away -

Tara Swan