Welcome to
Dream Topography
Mindful Art Pieces That Bring Your Dreams Closer
About
Tara Gillespie (b.1983, Baltimore, MD) is an abstract artist with a passion for contemporary art. In 2018 she started mixing her own acrylic paints and experimenting with resin, amongst other materials, and her practice has evolved since. Her studio is based in Timonium, MD.
“Throughout my life I’ve created visual art, films, and written works. However, it wasn’t until I began mixing acrylics and discovered resin that I realized this was the medium I’d been searching for. Fluid art gives me spontaneity, peace, and immediate satisfaction. My intention as I pour is to let go of my attached desire and to be present with the process. In this way, I feel fluid art is a mindful art practice.
Tara reveals her techniques in her studio offering in-person fluid and epoxy resin art classes for adults and children. She also offers these classes as an instructor at Manor Mill in Monkton, Maryland. Tara enjoys exhibiting in the fine art festival circuit participating in The Marco Island National Fine Art Show, The Bethesda Fine Art Festival, The American Craft Made Convention, Artscape, the Manayunk Arts Festival, the VisArts Rockville Fine Arts Festival, and the Chevy Chase Fine Art Festival. Upcoming exhibitions/classes are announced on this website and on her instagram (@taragill_art) as they are confirmed.
Artist Statement
My work aims to connect our world with the spiritual. Mindfulness and energetic interconnectedness are themes I currently explore. In my process I exploit the properties of paint and resin to create ethereal and nature-inspired works that mimic and transcend reality. I call my work “Dream Topography” because I feel my pieces evolve to resemble 3-dimensional maps where the viewer has an aerial view through layers of form in nature including landforms, minerals, water bodies, plant life, cellular structures, and atmosphere. What appears to one observer as a view of the universe may, to another, resemble the hidden worlds revealed beneath a microscope. By capturing both the cosmic and the cellular, my paintings remind us that the vast and the infinitesimally small can evoke the same sense of wonder, and that the same patterns and energy shape galaxies and cells alike. This suggests a deep interconnectedness between all scales of existence.
We had another birthday in the studio yesterday. The girls had so much fun creating with UV resin and flex rubber that they didn’t want to stop 😂 The parents said this was the quietest birthday party they’ve ever attended because the girls were so engaged. Happy Birthday Sadie! Thanks so much for celebrating in the studio.
#creative #birthdaypartyideasforkids #uvresin #kidscrafts #craftykids
Close-ups of pieces I brought to VisArts for my booth. My booth looked totally different this year (more cohesive and elevated) and I couldn’t be more proud of how my work has matured over the last 8 months. My work reflects my inner world and has explored several styles over the years (all of which felt authentic and organic at the time) but I’ve recently taken it all into a new modular direction that is not only the most exciting for me to create but also very aligned with what I’m feeling and trying to bring to my work. Working small on each tile as it’s own micro-world and/or mini galaxy and “piecing” them together to create a larger aerial landscape (bringing in mixed media materials from nature) is IT for me. Each piece reflects the shifting perspective between cellular and universal and the interconnected nature of form and pattern. It feels amazing to have arrived.✨✨✨
I hope you like the new feel of Dream Topography. If you’re still hoping for something from my archive collections please reach out as all earlier work is being sold at 30+% off. I still have a handful of pieces left so shoot me an email with interest.
#modularart #mixedmedia #art #alignment #dreamtopography
Booth pic VisArts 2026!
#artfestival #visarts #VisArtsRockville #RAF26 #RockvilleArtsFestival
Photos do not even come close to capturing how dreamy and deep this new collection is 🩵 Come see them in person this weekend at VisArts in Rockville. Booth 256
Caribbean Fragments: After the Tide
Size: 18x18”
Medium: Mixed media including foraged materials (palm tree fronds and jingle seashells from Marco Island)
Collection Information:
Caribbean Fragments explores Interconnectedness through the shoreline as both landscape and micro-world. Each tile is an aerial shoreline suspended between atmosphere and tide. The surfaces evoke shifting perspectives, resembling something seen under a microscope or from above the atmosphere, dissolving the boundaries of scale. Together, the fragments connect to form a larger whole, reflecting the inherent interconnectedness of natural systems.
#microworlds #interconnectedness #organicabstraction #caribbeaninspired #marcoisland
Excited to share the first piece of my new collection
Caribbean Fragments: Tidal Field
Size: 18x24”
Medium: Mixed media including foraged materials (palm tree fronds and jingle seashells from Marco Island)
Collection Information:
Caribbean Fragments explores Interconnectedness through the shoreline as both landscape and micro-world. Each tile is an aerial shoreline suspended between atmosphere and tide. The surfaces evoke shifting perspectives, resembling something seen under a microscope or from above the atmosphere, dissolving the boundaries of scale. Together, the fragments connect to form a larger whole, reflecting the inherent interconnectedness of natural systems.
#microworlds #interconnectedness #organicabstraction #caribbeaninspired #marcoisland
The day has finally come 🎉 Several pieces were ready to demold out of the new molds! For years I’ve been using painters tape to “dam” my pieces so I could layer resin. With these molds not only is my process more efficient and cleaner, I also realized how much better it is for my brain/productivity to be working in manageable groups. I have two of these molds built which means I’m working on two groups of 5 continuously. It’s so much better than how I used to have pieces on every surface in different stages 😵💫 Watch how well these molds break down so the pieces can be knocked out. They functioned better than I was expecting and the resulting pieces are perfect! Comparison at the end showing one piece that was created using tape versus the new mold.
#creativeprocess #resin #resinmolds #mixedmedia #upgrade
My Caribbean Fragments Collection is making lots of mixed media progress. This week I dove into creating watery tiles I’ll mount on blocks to add to my pieces. These are a bit tricky with the timing. You need to demold them before they fully cure so I was up until 2am waiting, then finally set my alarm for 5am to find that flexible sweet spot. These came out perfect!
#mixedmedia #waterart #carribeansea #resin creativeproc
Exciting things! Putting my new “materials” to the test. And yeahhh, I totally had a huge bag of palm tree fronds and seashells as my carry-on 😂 🐚🌴So happy to be back in the studio.
Also, the last picture is the first step creating a silicon water mold! Hopefully it turns out so I can make resin water sculptures a part of this Caribbean Cosmos inspired series 🩵
#mixedmedia #inspiredbynature #foraged #creativeprocess #mixedmediaartist
