My name is Tarnia (like Narnia lol), I’m an Australian realism artist from rural south-east Queensland, and I specialise in lifelike animal portraits full of depth and character. Through my art, I hope to celebrate the solace nature can provide through life’s challenges, and inspire a love for the animal kingdom who I fear are often overlooked and under-appreciated. 

 

I was a wild, barefoot child who hoarded beetles in her pockets. That devotion has followed me through competitive equestrian life and now into being a proud mum to my beloved animals on my homestead.  Over these years I feel I have an instinct for the individual character beneath their primal nature.

Pairing with this I also have an academic/professional background in biomedical and environmental science, giving me a deep understanding (and fascination) for anatomy, physiology and biomechanics.​ 

 

It took me many years to harmonise this dichotomy, the analytical and the intuitive, in both my art and myself. Of course I aim for likeness and correctness (I am a perfectionist at heart, after all) but moreso I want to capture the character and vulnerability of my subject in a way that feels soulful and profound, not just technically skilled; in a way that looking at the painting feels less like observing the subject but more like meeting them. 

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Alongside my original works, I share my processes with beginner and intermediate artists, teaching the fundamentals of realism through animal portraiture.