Modern Artist Profile - Tara J Paterson
/In conversation with Tara J Paterson, one of the many talented artists participating in the 2025 Mississauga Festival of Trees.
1. Tell us a bit about your art practice. What do you specifically do?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist with a background in film, theatre, acting, and pretty much anything I can get my little paws into. My work lives somewhere between visual art and storytelling, exploring how emotions, colour, pattern, and form can shift the way people move through and feel in a space. I create murals, installations, and public works that center queer and femme perspectives, using bold palettes and playful compositions to celebrate self-expression and community. I love transforming ordinary environments into something that feels alive, something that invites people to slow down, connect, and see beauty in unexpected places.
2. What inspires you?
Even though I wear all black most days, I’m endlessly inspired by colour. It’s emotion, memory, and rhythm all at once. I’m fascinated by how it can change the energy of a space or reflect what’s going on inside us. I’m also inspired by people, their moods, movements, and the small ways they express who they are. Cities, music, love, nature, dance, fashion, and the tension between softness and boldness all feed my curiosity. I love the way art can make people feel seen or help them see others.
3. How do you approach a new project?
I usually start with a feeling or a question rather than a clear image. I like to ask: What would be interesting for people to feel here? What story wants to live in this space?
From there, I start sketching loosely, playing with colour, shape, and rhythm until
something begins to click. I think a lot about energy flow, how a piece breathes within its environment, how people might move around it, or how it could catch someone’s eye from a distance. I’m a Libra, so aesthetics and a search for balance always drive me. Collaboration and intuition alsoplay big roles in my process. I love when an idea evolves organically through experimentation.
4. Describe the experience of working with CreativeHub 1352 in Mississauga on a commissioned artwork for the Festival of Trees.
The best! Working with CreativeHub has been such a rewarding experience. The process felt collaborative from start to finish, with a shared belief in the power of art to bring people together. They gave so much freedom while offering a space to learn and grow. I’ve really valued their mentorship, encouraging risks while keeping the integrity of the work intact.
5. What excites you about Mississauga’s Festival of Trees?
I love that the festival creates an intersection between community, art, and wonder. It takes a common tree, a universal symbol of growth and connection, and invites artists to reinterpret it through our own lens. That openness to imagination is beautiful. This is also my first time working on a piece of this scale, so I’m extremely excited and honestly can’t wait for people to see it. There’s something powerful about watching a public space transform through creativity. It’s an honour to be part of this and a good reminder that art isn’t just for galleries, it’s for everybody.
6. What’s in store for 2026?
Next year I’m continuing to expand my practice into more immersive forms of storytelling, projects that blur the line between installation, film, and performance. I’m developing new public art concepts that explore belonging and identity, and I’m hoping to bring some of that work into more community spaces. I’m excited to blend my passions for filmmaking and art and also focusing on collaboration, connecting with other artists and organizations that share a love for experimentation and narrative-driven work. Ultimately, I want to keep creating pieces that feel alive, that invite people to see themselves and others, reflected in colour, movement, and emotion.
