Tanya Marie Reeves
Tanya Marie Reeves is a Professional Artist from outback Australia, self-taught, flourishing from a natural talent, exceptional eye, passion and dedication. With over 20 years experience, she proclaims her unique artistic expression predominantly through acrylic and mixed media, striking a balance between abstract and realism, harnessing the boldness of acrylics and intensity of saturated colour. Tanya loves to use contrasting block colours and manipulate lines, integrating strong geometric patterns with sensual feminine forms, while also exhibiting a meticulous sense of order.
Tanya has exhibited nationally within Australia and internationally throughout several countries, most recently in London, taking out the Gold Award for the Masters Of Art International 2015 and the Silver Award and Best Illustration in 2016.
Born in Broken Hill, Australia on October 23rd, 1974, Tanya is the eldest of two girls and is now a single mother of her own two teenage children, continuing to reside in their hometown.
Tanya’s journey as a self-taught artist began when she was very young; with a little extra talent and love for drawing as a child. She was inspired greatly by her uncle, only nine years her senior, whom was also crafty with a pencil and would sketch crazy cartoon characters for her. Tanya would spend hours drawing as a child, replicating pictures from comic books such as “Footrot Flats” and most especially recreating Disney characters from VHS covers and books. As a young teenager, Tanya would sketch the likes of Axl Rose and Madonna and other pop culture of the 80’s, then dabbling with paint and mixed media in her late teens and early twenties.
But truth be told, Tanya was not interested in pursuing art as a career at that point and by the time she had married and fallen pregnant with her first child in 2001 she had packed it all away. But after some tough life lessons, two children and a grueling divorce, Tanya took it on again with a passion like never before. Further inspired by a time when the Internet was truly coming to life, with awe and amazement Tanya had discovered a world of art she had never before encountered, which encouraged her own artistic dreams, and in 2006 Tanya decided to follow art as a career path.
Throughout her life Tanya had struggled with depression, and anxiety fueled by perfectionism. As a teenager she had never recognized this, but as an adult, re-molded her entire outlook on life and greatly affected her artwork since. Her painting has had an overwhelming effect on giving her strength, and her strength, has in turn, had an awe-inspiring effect on her art. Painting gives Tanya a focus. It sparks her adrenalin seeing her ideas come to life little by little, and on completion, fills her with self worth.
Tanya is a self-proclaimed perfectionist; she has learnt to treasure it, which resonates in her work, particularly in her strong lines. She loves the striking, boldness of saturated acrylics, the splendor of intense brilliant block colour and striking contrast and by the sensual curves of the female body. She primarily molds and manipulates geometric shapes and patterns with contrasting colour, contours and imageries, often with a splash of sass, to seduce the voyeur.
Early in 2011, a prestige gallery in New York encouraged Tanya to submit a portfolio to their gallery, the very first of many more to come. That initial approach had cemented Tanya’s idea of being a professional artist and gave her the reinforcement and vigor to forge ahead with gusto. She exhibited twice in Chelsea, New York (US) and also in Florence, Italy in 2012 and 2013 respectively, before opening her own private gallery in her hometown of Broken Hill in 2013.
Since, Tanya has completed an art residency in Nice, France, in 2014 exhibited her work in the ART3F Nice Art Fair and been included in digital art displays in Times Square - New York (US), The Louvre - Paris (France) and at SCOPE Miami 2015, Florida (US). She has received several Certificates of Honor and Excellence and won the Gold Award for the Masters of Art International 2015, and the Silver Award and Best
Illustration in 2016, exhibiting in London, England. She has also shown in supplemental art shows in Australia having had artworks accepted and displayed in several exhibitions in Melbourne and Stanthorpe, also including the Sydney and Melbourne Art Expo’s.
Tanya believes she is absolutely still growing and learning what she is capable of as an artist, frolicking with application techniques and experimenting with new concepts. She feels very fortunate to be able to do what she loves in life and is harnessing and relishing every opportune moment. “There is something incredibly magical and wonderfully fulfilling about creating something from nothing with your own hands. And in turn, time and again, you discover a force deeper within you that you never even knew existed.” - Tanya Marie Reeves
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