ARTIST STATEMENT:

My work is inspired by a desire to bring meditation, breathing, and mindfulness into my art practice. These interoceptive qualities—awareness of internal physical and emotional states—have become integral to my process and are largely influenced by my yoga practice and later, meditation practice. I have developed a heightened physical awareness of body and mind that is subconsciously revealed through abstract compositions and a focus on breath. 

It’s easy to take our breath for granted until something happens to change it, making us more aware of what is causing the change. In this current body of work, “The Breath Guides The Mark”, there is an intention to create a mark that is in sync with the inhale and with the exhale. Particular attention is paid to moving with each inhale and exhale. It becomes a somatic experience, the breath affects the movement of my brush, and it becomes meditative. The inhales rise from the bottom up, and the exhales drop down into the belly of the mark. In some of the pieces, there is a mark representing a pause. The pause after the breath, or the pause at the end of the inhale and again at the end of the exhale.

ARTIST BIO:

Tauna Cole has lived in Las Cruces since arriving for graduate school in the summer of 1996 to pursue her MFA in Painting. Over the years, she built a life rooted in the community—finding her lifelong partner, Raul Dorn, raising a family, and serving as an instructor in the New Mexico State University Department of Art for 23 years before retiring. 

Tauna saw teaching as a vocation to keep her connected to art and her own studio production. At NMSU, she was hired primarily to teach foundation 2-dimensional studio classes and, later in her career, Visual Concepts for non-art majors. Volunteering to take on committee responsibilities was another aspect of her work in the Department of Art. Tauna served as the scholarship chairman for almost a decade, was involved in departmental assessment, and served on university assessment committees. Before retiring, she served on the Faculty Senate and was the chair for the Student Success Committee. Tauna retired as a College Associate Professor and is recognized for her 21 years of teaching.

Tauna Cole served on the board for the Dona Ana Arts Council from 2000 – 2002. During her time on the arts council, a capital campaign was initiated to remodel the Rio Grande Theater and make it the arts council’s new home. Tauna has embedded herself in the community through teaching classes for adults and kids at the Las Cruces Museum School. Her side business, Art Paper Scissors, offered kids’ camps and classes.  Deeply engaged in the local arts scene, she has been a member of the Border Artists for almost 20 years and has recently joined Artforms. In 2017, she became a certified yoga teacher. She has created several workshops combining yoga and creativity. 

Tauna exhibits her work locally and regionally. From 2021 through 2023, she was a member of La Mecha Contemporary in El Paso, Texas, before it closed in 2024. In 2024, she was selected as an emerging artist as part of the Harwood Art Center’s Surface Emerging Artist program. Recently, Tauna has shown her work regionally. Her work is in several collections in Idaho, New Mexico, and Texas. Since her retirement from the Department of Art in 2023, Tauna has committed her time to the studio, focusing on creating new work and sharing it with broader audiences. Her appreciation and practice of yoga have inspired new approaches to making art over the last ten years. She is excited to continue this chapter of her artistic journey and looks forward to being part of the Agave Art Gallery in Mesilla, NM.