I work in charcoal, oil, and photo media. Much of my recent work is inspired by place and place of origin. I’m interested in environments and how they shape an experience, whether it’s my hometown or my present space. I like to discover the histories and stories of a location, and how the use of and attitudes toward it have changed over time. Also, what happens to the perception of a place due to a changing worldview? I’m generally very introspective as an artist, but am also interested in where my own experience intersects with public views and culture, and the ways they can conflict or mesh with each other. When I approach a space, I like to exist in it, sketch it, and pay attention to the way it looks and feels. Light and windows are especially important to me when I depict interior spaces, and light itself is often something I fixate on.
Taryn Harkness works primarily in oil paint, but uses charcoal and photo media as well. She was born in Richland, Washington, and has been practicing art from a young age. Drawing was her initial passion, but she was encouraged by professors to branch out into painting, photography, and graphic design. She has been a student at the University of Washington since 2017 and studied at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington, prior to that. She is currently based in Kennewick, Washington, due to current circumstances.
She has most recently exhibited in the School of Art’s senior IVA show in the fall of 2019, and before that UW’s Maker Summit, being awarded first place in the category of Drawing and Painting. After graduation, Taryn plans to take a gap year and apply to graduate school to pursue painting.