Tara Kelley-Cruz

Tara Kelley-Cruz was born in Amarillo, Texas and currently lives and works in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Brigham Young University. She has gone on to continue her education in painting, studying under artists such as Krista Harris, Nicholas Wilton and Bibby Gignilliat.

Among many art-historical influences such as Diebenkorn, Basquiat, Thiebaud and Frankenthaler, Kelley-Cruz is inspired by the large-scale installations of artist Ann Hamilton, the compositions of Robert Szot, and the color palettes and treatment of paint utilized by Michael Hedges.

Tara Kelley-Cruz’s work relies heavily on form, color and texture and deals with the question of what things in our history shape who we are as individuals and as a culture. Her latest series of work contains themes of hope, isolation, fantasy, escape, seeking direction, and finding beauty in the turbulence of life.

As a mixed-media painter, her process includes creating at least 10-12 layers of paint, found ephemera, image transfers and drawings. between layers, she scrapes and sands into the painting. Earlier layers are revealed and the surface begins to take on a rich, textured life of its own with its own history. She works in an ...

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Brigham Young University, 1992. Specialization in Printmaking

Also studied art at Georgia State University 1990 - 1991

Solo Exhibition "Chaos Within" Kreuser Gallery Colorado Springs, CO August 2021

Solo Exhibition "Storylines" D'art Gallery, Denver, CO May 2021

Solo Exhibition G44 Gallery Colorado Springs, CO October 2020

Solo Exhibition "Equinox 2020" D'art Gallery June 2020

Group Show D'art Gallery, Denver, CO January 2020

Solo Exhibition "Mixed Messages", Art 111 Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO August 2019

Group Show "Drip Dribble Splash", Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs, CO, March 2019

Group Show "Word Art", Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs, CO, February 2019

Solo Exhibition "A Three Year Journey", Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs, CO December 7 - 21 2018

Solo Exhibition "Directions From Here", The Machine Shop, Colorado Springs November 2 - 26 2018,

Artist Residency, The Machine Shop, Colorado Springs, CO August - October 2018

Group Show "Mixed Feelings", Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs, July 7 - 29, 2017

Two shows at Remax Millenium Gallery in Colorado Springs, April 2016 and November 2016