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Tab Creates – Beeton artist creates and gives back through teaching

June 29, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

When Beeton artist, Tabitha Marshall, puts her brush to canvas, she creates works of art that are born from something that catches her eye. Marshall can see the beauty of transforming something unusual into a stunning visual.
From a rusty old truck in a field to household pets, Tabitha’s works create a lasting image that will capture a scene or create a memory.
She is now teaching art classes and helps everyone, from kids to seniors, enjoy learning how to paint.
Tabitha is largely self-taught and has been painting all her life.
“I’ve really been an artist my whole life,” Tabitha explained. “I started doing professional commissions during college. I think it was a turning point in my career when people were willing to pay for my art and I wasn’t just giving it away as a gift. I had really great art teachers in my public school and high school and they taught me the basics. I did some theory at Sheridan (College). Sheridan gave me a 12 month art fundamentals credit that really honed in on some of the basic skills of colour theory.”
Tabitha works mostly with watercolour and acrylic paint.
A lot of different things inspire her, but she really enjoys creating paintings of cars. Where someone may see a rusted old car in a field, Tabitha sees it as something to be recreated on canvas.
She also does a lot of pet portraits on commission. Many people love their pets and want a lasting memory created.
Her work varies between bright and bold and more subdued, depending on the subject matter. The work is visually stunning, with beautiful depth and entrancing visuals.
While she is still painting, Tabitha has started a new phase of her career teaching art and conducts classes at different venues for a variety of eager students.
“During the pandemic, I really pivoted to teaching,” Tabitha explained. “My background is in marketing and advertising, and when the pandemic happened, I went into virtual learning online and doing conferences. I started teaching classes live online for corporate events, and that’s how I really got into teaching art.”
Tabitha teaches classes at different places like libraries and public spaces and even has outdoor classes where artists will go to scenic locations as a group.
“I do all the art kits out of my house then I travel to places like public libraries, people’s houses or a public space,” Tabitha said of how she teaches people to paint. “I also teach Plein Air, which is the art of painting outdoors. We’ll go to someone’s farm with a group of 15 or 20 people, and we’ll paint what we see. I was teaching with the school board for a while board and corporate. It can be anything from teaching at a birthday party to a family paint night and corporate groups. I’ve done classes at the hospital and taught at Contact Community services.”
Tabitha has taught around 75 senior citizens this year, who find learning to paint an enjoyable experience. She also works well with children, and birthday parties can be a lot of fun when the kids can all pick up a paintbrush.
Since the pandemic, Tabitha has worked on art programs with various companies and associations, including The Dance Workshop, south Asian Network of Simcoe, Stevenson Memorial Hospital, Cookstown Chamber of Commerce, Boyne River Public School, and Catulpa Community Support Services.
One of the kid’s favourite activities is painting gnomes. Tabitha brings small clay gnomes to the class, and the kids can bring them to life by adding the colours they want.
“I’ve been here for seven years now, and the area has really embraced me as the local artist. I’m very thankful for associations like the South Simcoe Arts Council and the local Chambers and the townships that have promoted small business during the pandemic.”
You can see more of Tabitha’s work, request a commission, or find out about booking an art class by visiting her website at www.tabcreates.ca.

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