Tara Austin Novak is a long-time Vail Valley resident, former pro-snowboarder, and mountain lover whose abstract art is a direct reflection of her immersion in nature. Influenced by the vibrant, ever-changing colors of the Colorado high country— Tara uses unique processes of layering acrylics, textures, resin, and glass to achieve a stunning sense of depth and luminosity. Her ultimate goal is to offer the viewer a moment of calm and contemplation.

A graduate of RIT(Rochester Institute of Technology) in Industrial, Packaging, & Graphic Design, Tara is a successful entrepreneur and takes active roles her community. In addition to 25 years cultivating her construction/decorative painting business, Custom Creations Inc., she founded the co-operative ARTSPACE workshop + gallery and the non-profit EagleARTS. Tara also sits on the board of the Vail Valley Art Guild, has been honored with multiple "Best of Vail Valley" awards for her fine art and art gallery, and worked on several public art projects throughout the valley; solidifying her role as a key contributor to the regional art scene.

Artist Statement: My passion is in abstract painting - The feeling invoked by the colors, textures, and spatial tension in a piece of art. I use non-traditional tools like trowels and pallet knives, layering mediums such as plasters, metallics, oxidizing metal, and epoxy resin to depict the relationship between the ever-changing organic matters in nature and the unique layers of life humans accumulate over time.