Tara McIntosh (b.1999) is an emerging Australian artist from the Mid North Coast, committed to developing a unique material practice in painting and drawing. Her work is grounded in studio-based research, where the canvas functions as a scaffold, capturing the passage of pigment, dust, debris, and occasionally acrylic paint. This layered process embeds a rich history within the surface, reflecting both the labour-intensive nature of her practice and a thoughtful commentary on the contemporary landscape of painting. Tara’s investigation into the interrelationship between painting, archival material, and physicality embeds temporal remnants of place and bodily memory into the canvas, transforming it into both inscription and surface trace. In her approach, nothing is wasted; every material is thoughtfully repurposed as a foundation for future works.

Tara holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the National Art School (2023), where she was awarded the prestigious Lift Off Award upon graduation. Since then, she has participated in numerous exhibitions and has recently been a selected finalist for the Mosman Art Prize 2024, the Gosford Art Prize 2024, and the Macquarie Art Prize 2024.