TARA GOOD'S new body of work, Wallscapes, is an intense study of surface. Mica, acrylic, and the sanded images of religious icons comprise the view Tara depicts of a world full of poverty and hope...the extremes that illuminate so many lives. Her brush strokes are soft and blended, with the muted colors of an existence that has undergone one too many stormy nights.

These abstract illusions have a three dimensionality that is further enhanced by the icons and commonplace directives or decorative stencils that give the paintings their depth and meaning. Under certain light, the mica...springs eternal...casting a sheen that awakens us from our slumber. While there is a stark contrast between the deep, rich colors of the icons and the blended, pastel strokes of the background, the mundane and the spiritual do not fight each other. Rather this grouping suggests the paradox inherent in all of our lives; the need to embrace the contradictions of our lives peacefully and serenely...with an inward smile in fact. Full of compassion, understanding and acceptance, Tara's paintings are a sweet surrender to these contradictions.

Her paintings teeter on the edge of abstraction, but are grounded with tangibles that allow this exploration of surface to plumb the depths of the human experience. The rhythm of the brushstrokes...a flowing mix of muted color with the contrapuntal pulls of heaven and earth...mimic the energy we need to transform this experience: a knowledge of the earthly seductions, a love of beauty and a spiritual dimension that allows us to transcend the despair