Tara Merkt - Artist Spotlight Solo Art Exhibition

Tara Merkt is the Traditional Artist Spotlight winning artist for the month of October 2017. She is a Minnesota based scratchboard artist who, as a child, was initially inspired to become an artist when she accompanied her mother to college art classes.

Tara’s Solo Art Exhibition will be featured on the website for the entire month of October 2017. The gallery will promote Tara and her work on the Fusion Art website, individual online press releases to hundreds of outlets, email blasts, in online event calendars, art news websites and through the gallery’s extensive social media outlets. Fusion Art’s objective is to promote the Artist Spotlight winning artists, worldwide, to art professionals, gallerists, collectors and buyers.

Please read Tara’s Biography and Artist Statement below as she describes her history, inspiration and process in her own words. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see Tara’s exhibition.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these award-winning pieces, or to see more of her work, please visit her website.

Also, please visit Fusion Art’s YouTube Channel to see a video of Tara’s Solo Art Exhibition.

Thank you to all the artists who participated in the Artist Spotlight competition and congratulations to Tara and the other Artist Spotlight winning artists.

Tara Merkt Biography

Tara Merkt is a native of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Merkt works predominately in scratchboard art; a 2-dimensional, subtractive medium that involves the use of abrasive tools to directly remove a surface layer of one value (typically dark) to expose a secondary layer of a contrasting value (typically white). She is currently an active member of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists. Merkt trained at the University of Minnesota (Studio Arts BA – 2000) and the University of Wisconsin (Masters of Art Therapy – 2003). She recently placed in the top 14, of over 1300+ entries, in the Shades of Grey international art competition for Drawing magazine. Her piece “Eye of the Beholder” was published in the Spring 2017 issue of Drawing magazine.

Tara Merkt Artist Statement

I was inspired to become an artist because of my Mother. When I was a child, she was getting her associates degree in graphic arts and I was able to go along with her to many of her classes during that time. I always remember looking at all the art she and her classmates created thinking that I want to do that someday. Therefore, when it came to choosing a degree the definite choice for me was Studio Arts. However, I knew that success in the field was difficult. So I decided to major in studio arts and minor in psychology so that I could continue and get my Masters in Art Therapy. Life didn’t ultimately lead me into Art Therapy as a career, but Art was always there.

I was introduced to scratchboard art by seeing a display at Blick Art Materials. Someone within the store had taken a small, and I mean SMALL… maybe 1″x1″, sample of scratchboard and created a profile drawing of a man. I was curious what they had used and asked about the medium. I decided to bring some home and try it. I have been hooked ever since.