Inspired by the “magical garden of wonders” found swimming in the cold Atlantic waters, Cornwall painter TARA LEAVER finds a balance between creating her own fluid paintings and developing an online community for like-minded artists. But life was not always so easy-breezy. Tara candidly shares how her struggles with depression enabled her to manage her art “demons” and help other artists tackle their own.

As in the sea, so in the studio. In this ARTish WORDS episode, Cornwall painter and educator Tara Leaver shares what the sea has taught her and how it provides a roadmap for the artist journey. Using three simple words “I don’t know” followed by one word “just,” Tara works her way through things that initially seem daunting, as in: “I don’t know” what I will paint today, so I will “just” go in and clean my brushes.

Tara insists that she is not a superhero or even unusually brave; rather, she is just someone who wants all the bounty of what the sea—and an artist life– have to offer. Move closer to thing you are afraid of and you just might discover your own magical sea cave.

British printmaker and painter ALISON SAUNDERS makes no bones about it—she doesn’t like boring beige. While her bold use of color belies her initial career as an accountant, Alison generously offers her professional insight on how to track expenses for art shows, weekly business check-ins and an old-school index card system to manage inventory. Alison also shares personal stories about growing up in a family of artists and making art during times of emotional upheaval.