Taras’ artistic career spans more than 35 years. It included training at Guelph University, Sheridan College and the Nova Scotia School of Art where she studied painting and sculptural work...

'Horses represent a certain strength and a certain weakness. And they’re free. That’s what I like about wild horses. They are free. But they have the mentality of a seven-year-old. Like a seven-year-old, there must be trust between a horse and yourself, or it doesn’t work,' said Taras.

Several of her works were painted during a one-week painting workshop at British Columbia’s Flying U Ranch. All You Have Is Time is a majestic scene of horses grazing on a mountain pasture, and Running from What is an ethereal painting of a herd running in the early morning fog.

Taras paints both realistic and abstract imagery in both oil and acrylic. Her horses are not passive. Some paintings are memories. Others are invigorating landscapes. Still others are horses that have galloped out of her imagination to form timeless beauty on canvas.

They generate motion and there is a visual power to each canvas. The four-legged animals do not speak, but their body language gives clues to their personalities. They might be clumsy, agitated, graceful, playful, tired or stumbling. But each one tells their own story.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Wild Horses of Alberta

I have been painting horses since my daughters both had horses in their teen years. I am
now 86, and still painting horses, although my focus has changed from horses coming down
the long gravel road to capturing the spirit of the wild horses of Alberta.
I am attracted to the spirit of these animals because they are powerful, and the older I get
the more I appreciate the freedom they exhibit. Freedom is a hard-won liberty. Coming
from a time when women fought for every freedom, I raised five children on an acreage at a
time when women couldn't even have a credit card.
I have now travelled all over the world, met world political leaders and movie stars,
obtained a university degree in my 50s, and I am still learning and painting every day.

Painting What I Encounter

Many of my painting subjects have come from the people, animals and places I
encountered during my travels. I am drawn to strong women, children and people in quiet,
unguarded moments - their work, their burdens, their dignity and their ability to overcome
adversity.

Supporting Orphanages I Have Visited

Travel has not only introduced me to remarkable people and places; it has also taken me
into orphanages. I continue to support the orphanages I have visited because the children
stay with me long after the journey is over. Their lives can be difficult, but I have seen
warmth, courage and joy in them. As a mother of five, I feel a deep connection to children,
and these encounters remind me that compassion must be more than a feeling. It must
lead us to help when we can.

Whether I am painting people or wild horses, I am searching for the same things: strength,
freedom and the spirit that carries us forward.