About

As a young child Tanis had a gift for drawing and impressed the teachers at elementary school. At 12 yrs of age she was encouraged to join a local art and craft show where she sold some of her art. In high-school her favorite class was art; in her spare time you could find her there. Her teacher told that besides art history, she wasn't going to be able to teach her anything more than she already knew, and encouraged her to use any of the art supplies available to learn and grow the skills she already had. This teacher would show her work to other art colleagues and sell them for her. Tanis would continue to draw and paint as she grew into adulthood, however her focus went to raising her four beautiful daughters, and teaching them the love of art and craft. She also taught children arts and crafts in summer programs as well as ran some art and craft workshops at the local food bank. Tanis has always naturally gravitated to the creative side of herself. Now that her daughters have all grown and started families of their own, Tanis has taken up her passion for art full time. Tanis has been taking an art mastery program through the Milan Art Institute, where she will graduate soon. She has already had some of her art in art galleries. Tanis lives on the prairies in the middle of Canada, where the best sunrises and sunsets happen.

Tanis is inspired by the beauty of the natural world around her; She sees the beauty in everything. She often finds it in hidden and broken places, like the small delicate flowers found on the weeds growing out of the cracks of the sidewalks, or in the color of the moss growing on decomposing trees, or within the patterns of the peeling paint on old wooden boards. She loves to paint the flora and fauna around her, marveling at the wonder of Creation. Tanis uses techniques like collage, texture pastes, and metal leafing to add texture to her paintings, adding up close surprises for the viewer. It brings Tanis great pleasure in the process of painting to add abstracted details and patterns into a realistic subject. She loves to create hidden surprises in her art. Tanis loves to use bright, bold colors to paint joy, she also uses beautiful soft muted colors to offer the viewer's eyes places to rest and find peace. She uses both in the same painting to uplift weary spirits. Her paintings inspire hope and joy in a world that loves to focus on pain and the destruction of the beauty that surrounds us. Tanis wants her viewers to "experience the wonder and joy that comes from exploring the world around us, finding beauty even in the broken and hidden places".

Tanis's studio is located on the upper floor of her family home, where she surrounds herself with all the things she loves. It is filled with colorful art, colorful art supplies and you can often find her cats or her dog curled up on the floor beside her as she paints. Her favorite part of painting is adding transparent layers of brightly colored paint to boost the color of the layers that are underneath. Tanis lives with her husband and their pets in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She loves to spend time with her four beautiful daughters and their families as well as with her amazing grandchildren. Looking to the future, Tanis would love to travel and paint the wonders she sees around her, and tell others the truths found in her art.