- City
- Dundas
- Booth
- Nathan Phillips Square
Booth 233
Tara Michelle Walkey
My name is Tara Michelle Walkey and I reside in Dundas ON with my dog Lucy where you can often find us hiking on any of the multitude of trails located in this beautiful area. I am a costume designer by trade and wanted to combine my love of nature and my love of fabric to freeze frame those single moments in time that happen as I hike. I use embroidery to create original artworks that are first digitized, then stitched out and finally completed using acrylic paints. The layers of fabric, thread and paint I use in my pieces mimic the overlapping layers and textures found in nature. The woodland creatures I like to embroider are animals found along the many trails I hike so deer, hares, foxes and raccoons are predominantly featured. I am also drawn to the tactile component of sculpture and create faux taxidermy, again with an emphasis on the animals I see on my forest walks. My sculptures are first rendered in oil-based plasticine and silicone molds are then made. After they’re cast, I either paint them in acrylic or finish them with layers of upcycled fabrics to give various textures and patterns. In both my embroideries and my sculpture, I try to capture the unique expressions of the animals and imbue each with a unique whimsy and sense of fun.
