There comes a point when Google, YouTube, struggling away on your own, and even group courses aren’t quite taking you where you want to go with your art.

It’s a common experience. I’ve reached this point myself from time to time throughout my artist journey.

I’d take courses, explore on my own, and then hit a wall or know that I’d reached the edge of my knowledge of how to move forward with my art. So I’d seek help from a mentor for personalised, focused attention specific to my needs and direction.

Then my art would leap forward again, along with my confidence, skills and understanding, and my belief in my ability to create my best work.

So in response to requests I often receive for personal one to one feedback on artwork, process, and the artist life, I’ve been putting together a new offering that will go into greater specificity and depth on your personal art journey than I currently offer in the course classrooms.

 

Who is this for?

You don’t have to be an advanced artist to take advantage of this offer.

You might be a beginner looking for specific-to-you guidance that speaks to where you are now, next steps, and encouraging feedback as well as gentle advice on course correcting if requested.

Or you might be a more experienced artist who simply needs a neutral and experienced eye on their work to take it further or get past a stuck point.

This could be helpful to you if you are:

  • stuck at the Ugly Phase or struggling to know what to do to complete a painting {or paintings!}
  • unsure about how to stop your art becoming tighter and more realistic than you want
  • confused because you know a painting isn’t quite right and you don’t know why or what to do about it
  • making a lot of very different work and unable to discern what’s ‘yours’
  • experiencing a lack of confidence due to inexperience, comparison, or perceived inability to make the kind of art you want to be making
  • finding it hard to find the courage to share your work publicly {online or off}
  • struggling with unanswered questions about process, materials, or some other art related topic

Topics covered:

While I have plenty of experience in certain aspects of art, there are inevitably areas where I’m less useful! In order to be transparent and clear from the start, here is a list of topics I can help you with, alongside those that are not my area of expertise.

{I may however be able to point you in the direction of someone who does know about those topics, so feel free to email me at tara@taraleaver.com and ask!}

I can help you with:

  • art process experiences and how to demystify and understand them better
  • art materials and how to use them {except oils and watercolours}
  • ‘the demons’ – inner critic, perfectionism, self doubt etc
  • time management 
  • websites and social media questions

Not my zone of genius:

  • licensing
  • art fairs/exhibiting
  • approaching or selling through galleries {yet!}
  • portfolios

What this is:

  • an opportunity for deeper one to one feedback on specific paintings to help you move forward {some of the feedback will likely be applicable to your work generally, some very specific to the paintings you send}
  • a means of getting a supportive kick start to take you to the next level/painting/stage of your artist journey
  • input from a working artist who knows how to read a painting and can make suggestions on improvements or ways to take a painting forwards with a non judgemental eye
  • a chance to ask questions about how to use materials, what works, what doesn’t etc
  • a way to receive unique-to-you suggestions about possible next steps
  • an opportunity to discover you’re right on track 🙂

 

All this in a format you can return to again and again.

What this is not: 

  • an ongoing mentorship – it’s a single contained offering {although if it proves useful it will be possible to do it as often as you like}
  • critiquing in the traditional art school sense of the word – only encouragement and suggested ideas here!
  • me telling you what to do {I will firmly and lovingly hand the autonomy for decision making about next steps to you 🙂 }

How it works

Payment is made securely via Stripe using the button below. Once you’ve received confirmation from me that your payment has been processed {which will include clear instructions about what I’ll need from you}, you’ll send me an email containing any or all of the following:

  • up to 3 images of a painting or paintings you need an outside eye on {as attachments – they don’t always show up when included in the body of an email}.
  • any questions or issues related to the paintings and/or more generally regarding your art that you’d like my perspective on {including what you’re aiming to achieve or trying to say with each painting shared or with your work in general}. The more specific and clear you are, the better I can help you.
  • any other questions you may have. 

 

I will read your email and look carefully at your work, then send you an email within 5 working days containing any or all of the following as appropriate:

 

  • A detailed written response to your questions and concerns
  • A video response talking through any painting{s} you shared and possible ideas for development
  • Images and slideshows to illustrate points
  • Any resources, links, or other artists to look to for inspiration that I feel may be useful for you
  • Heaps of encouragement 🙂

I don’t promise to provide ‘the solution’, but I can offer insights from a decade of personal practice, four years of teaching, and a lifelong passion for and study of art {both formal and informal}. Ultimately any decisions you make regarding the feedback are of course yours; sometimes it’s simply helpful to have some specific-to-you guidance and outside input.

 

What it costs

Artist Support is currently available at a trial price of £75 / approx. $100 USD {click here to convert to your currency} and includes:

  • Your email with images and questions {as detailed above}
  • My response {as detailed above}
  • One further email if clarification is needed {ie. you can reply to my response with any clarifying/further questions and receive one further email from me}
  • My promise to answer as fully, thoughtfully, and comprehensively as I can to give you the best possible help right now

 

Got questions before committing? Email me at tara@taraleaver.com and I’ll get right back to you.

If you’re ready to go ahead, click the button below to purchase your session and get the process started!

 

“The process was simple, and just days after sending my questions I received a thoughtful, detailed response – enough information that I needed to clear some time to properly sift through it. Tara sent her thoughts, ideas, examples and links to resources directly related to the questions I sent. She provided encouragement and an alternate perspective on some of the themes I pondered. Workshops and courses are great, but sometimes you need one on one attention, direction and an opportunity to ask the opinion of an artist you admire. I especially appreciated the visual aids – in the form of photos and a slideshow demonstrating your process. Always so informative.”

Tara Friesen