Hello from Tara Kate
A reintroduction and an invitation.
Hello, dear Reader!
It’s been a year since I sent out my last newsletter. Now that I am beginning again after this long hiatus, I find myself wondering worrying that you don’t remember me! So I feel like a reintroduction is in order. I want to share a little bit about who I am, show you some recent work, and give you a little orientation to my new space on Substack.
As you may remember, I am an artist and illustrator living in beautiful Corvallis, Oregon. My husband is a professional ornithologist and university professor (learn more about him here). We are proud dog parents of a kooky Labradoodle named Finch.
Eight years ago, I decided that I wanted to become a full-time artist. I did not go to art school. I was not one of those people who had always made art. I was, to put it kindly, very naive. I’ll save the whole story of how I went from naive wanna-be to professional for another time. Suffice it to say, after many online classes and untold hours of practice, I gained enough skills to call myself a professional artist.
I spend my days making art and running my business:
I apply my biology background (I have a Ph.D.!) to create illustrations of birds.
I mentor biology and wildlife students who are integrating art into their scientific lives.
I teach art and sell my work.
Here I am in my studio:
Over the years, I’ve created hundreds of drawings and sketches through my daily art practice. Most of my time is spent creating and I’m incredibly grateful that I am able to live out the life of a full-time artist. Here are a couple of my recent works:
I do this work because:
I love birds! And because my husband studies birds for a living, they’re an important part of my daily life.
Nature’s beauty is vulnerable and I believe we have a responsibility to this beauty— to share it with others to the degree that we can and to communicate its importance and its fragility.
Individual animals have stories to tell and it’s part of my life’s purpose to share some of those stories through my art.
One of the biggest reasons I’m starting a Substack is to be able to share more of my process and my work and the motivations behind it. As a self-taught artist, I remember all the struggles I had in learning how to make art.
Here’s what you can expect from me:
Monthly updates with artwork and sketchbook pages
News on upcoming workshops and events
Shop updates
Insights into my process, tools, inspirations, and advice on having a creative practice
I’ve moved my newsletter to Substack because it has a lot of advantages over a traditional newsletter delivery system. One perk is that you can comment on my newsletters — that means you can ask questions and offer feedback and make suggestions for future issues.
Anyone can visit my Substack to read all my public posts. You don’t even have to subscribe, just bookmark it if you’d like to read online.
As a free subscriber, you get an email when I post. I plan to send you a newsletter once a month or so. These emails will be a bit of a summary of what I’ve been doing and news about classes I’m teaching or other events of interest.
If that sounds good to you and you’re already subscribed, then no action is needed.
When you become a paying subscriber, you’ll not only hear from me more often, but you’ll know that you’re supporting a working artist with much needed encouragement and income. Paid subscribers will receive behind-the-scenes posts, tips and advice, and more long-form content. If you’re thinking of upgrading, I’d love to hear what kinds of posts you’d like to see. And as a thank you for your support, I’m offering 10% off for a year. Just click on the button below.
I’d love it if you’d pop by on my Substack and introduce yourself! Thanks so much for reading!
Lots of love,
Tara Kate