Tara Higgins has a full background in the arts. She has studied painting in Oxford, England; Venice, Italy; Amsterdam, Holland; and Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. At Clark University in the States she received her BA in theatre set design. While in America Tara also did a three-year apprenticeship under two extremely talented faux finishers, Matthew Tyrell and Melissa Barberi.
From there she returned to England, where her family resides, to start her own company specialising in hand painted furniture and faux wall finishes. With much acclaim and success she had her own store in the Cotswold district of England.
Born and raised in and around Vancouver, and having kept ties with this spectacular country, returning was not a huge leap. Having a particular affinity to the mountains Tara moved to Fernie in 2000 after being on the coast.
Still running her own company, Painted and Plastered Designs, the town of Fernie has become a home for Tara. A place where relaxing and enjoying the lifestyle are expected. She is constantly on the move and can be found running up and down ladders applying straight up paint to walls, giving kitchen cabinets facelifts or bringing restaurants to life through her bold use of colour and her canvases.
Her work has appeared in magazines, newspapers and on television, in such publications as House and Gardens, Goodhousekeeping, and Beautiful Homes.
Tara draws her inspiration from nature’s juxtapositions, which are abound in Fernie. She is currently exploring form and how it is affected by different times of day and the seasons.
When she does put down the paintbrush she can be found bombing around the mountains, either on skis, a mountain bike or her own two feet.