Tamara E. Burnett • Idaho • waow
| Watercolor | Acrylic | Gouache | Portraits | Animals | Nature | Painting | Landscapes | Wildlife |
Tamara E Burnett
I have long been drawn to the natural world whether it be landscape, flora, or fauna. This is where I find not only great outer beauty but genuine inner peace. It is easy to understand why capturing moments in nature has long been my creative focus. When creating my acrylic or watercolor paintings, I strive to strike a powerful balance between technical precision and emotional depth. To this end I am careful to produce balanced and often dynamic compositions while imparting radiant color and light through the careful use of color theory. I am well known for my use of delicate detail as an accent to my finished works.
Though I have routinely created landscape dominated paintings, much of the body of my work consists of portraiture. I love creating portraits! Portraiture allows me to focus on the expression of the face and eyes of my subjects. I embrace the challenge of communicating the true essence and character of my subjects with paint. I know I have succeeded in this endeavor when the viewer can feel the true unique personality and heart of my subject through the expression and eyes. I have long created portraits of domestic animals and wildlife. I am now embracing the singular challenge of accurately conveying people in portraiture. For this body of work not only do I strive to convey the true essence and spirit of the individual I am painting but also capture specific moment in time for that portrait.
Ultimately, my goal is to create paintings that are not only visually stunning but leave a distinct emotional weight long after viewing.
Biography
The beautiful, delicate, and highly detailed acrylic and watercolor paintings by Tamara Burnett are renown and collected internationally. Burnett's art is acclaimed for her unique ability to capture her subject's true essence and character through the expression in the eyes and face. This rare ability has resulted in a very high demand for her custom portraiture and for her fine art.
Born in Salt Lake City, Burnett has resided in Saint Albans, Vermont; Littleton, Colorado; and most notably Saratoga, California where she spent the majority of her formative years. In April of 2021 she moved with her family to Idaho Falls, Idaho where she presently lives. Burnett began her art career specializing in custom portraiture in the 1970's while still in high school. She attended college at the University of Colorado at Denver. Because of her lifelong love of animals, she was encouraged to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. She majored in biology and minored in chemistry. Though she earned a high GPA throughout her college experience she ultimately decided to switch life goals to pursue her ceaseless passion for painting. At this time she decided to pursue custom portraiture, wildlife art, and art licensing opportunities for her fine art. She garnered art licensing contracts with Danbury Mint and Pet Gifts USA. Her wildlife paintings were shown both at the original Cottage Shop alongside Thomas Kincaid originals and at the prestigious Wild Wings Gallery in Lake City, Minnesota.
Historically, watercolor and gouache have been Burnett's mediums of choice. Although she loves working in watercolor she sought for ways to make her artworks more durable to withstand the test of time. This exploration led her to experiment with the use of acrylic paint. Over time she refined her acrylic painting technique to match the vibrancy, realism, and delicate detail found in her watercolor art. Today she very successfully works with acrylic paint to achieve paintings that are both visually stunning and highly archival.
When Burnett creates a painting she strives for not only technical excellence but to convey emotion to the viewer that leaves a lasting positive impact. She brings this ideal about through careful study and understanding of her animal subjects, strong compositions, and skilled use of color theory. She does not consider a painting successful unless she is able to convey the true spirit of her subjects. Recently, Burnett is extending her portraiture to include people as well. She has found that she has a natural gift for capturing the essence of her human subjects as well her animal ones!
Artist Statement
I have long been drawn to the natural world whether it be landscape, flora, or fauna. This is where I find not only great outer beauty but genuine inner peace. It is easy to understand why capturing moments in nature has long been my creative focus. When creating my acrylic or watercolor paintings, I strive to strike a powerful balance between technical precision and emotional depth. To this end I am careful to produce balanced and often dynamic compositions while imparting radiant color and light through the careful use of color theory. I am well known for my use of delicate detail as an accent to my finished works.
Though I have routinely created landscape dominated paintings, much of the body of my work consists of portraiture. I love creating portraits! Portraiture allows me to focus on the expression of the face and eyes of my subjects. I embrace the challenge of communicating the true essence and character of my subjects with paint. I know I have succeeded in this endeavor when the viewer can feel the true unique personality and heart of my subject through the expression and eyes. I have long created portraits of domestic animals and wildlife. I am now embracing the singular challenge of accurately conveying people in portraiture. For this body of work not only do I strive to convey the true essence and spirit of the individual I am painting but also capture specific moment in time for that portrait.
Ultimately, my goal is to create paintings that are not only visually stunning but leave a distinct emotional weight long after viewing.
Selected Artwork
