Local artist Tanya Meyer described her “Portal of Lights” collection in one word: “magical.”

Meyer’s pieces were on display during a meet and greet last Friday at Tangled Up In Hue’s event known as “First Fridays,” where a featured artist of the month is given the opportunity to interact with visitors who come to view the art.

These portals from her collection contain glimmering paint swirled on the canvases, displaying a large variety of colors, patterns and textures.

On an informational placard below the display, portals of light are described as “an opening or multidimensional connection to the Divine.” This description parallels the theme of Meyer’s artwork.

“The theme is conscious energy,” Meyer said. “It emits a conscious healing energy to everybody who is in its presence.”

Before painting, Meyer hand draws each design onto the canvas. In addition, each painting has an individualized name, ones which “correspond with the colors and the strokes.”

Meyer dabbled with art for a period of time until she got into a car accident about two and a half years ago, after which she began to produce more and more of her paintings.

“I like art because it’s an expression of me,” Meyer said. “It’s my soul on the canvas, all of my energy comes out.”

For Meyer, there is no special technique for creating these paintings; she just pours the paint on the canvas letting “it do its thing.”

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Tangled Up In Hue owner Jamie Kyser said the store hosts a variety of artwork, stressing the non-uniformity of the pieces they display. Welcoming a “fun and unique” mentality, Kyser said she loves the energy that Meyer’s paintings possess.

“She’s definitely unique in the sense that her work has more of like an obviously abstract feel, but I think it has more of a spiritual and chakra feel as well,” Kyser said. “There’s that whole other metaphysical aspect.”

Kathy Rohland of Eau Claire, frequents Tangled Up In Hue to support the local artists in the area. She described how Meyer’s art differed from the work of other artist’s she has seen.

“It’s very colorful. It almost has the look of tin and that’s different than it just being a canvas,” Rohland said. “It looks like it has depth.”

Corry Gregg, a friend of Meyer’s, came to support Meyer and her most recent work at Tangled Up In Hue. Though Gregg couldn’t put into words why he liked certain paintings, they gave him a feeling of “calmness.”

“I guess I find a piece that I like, and I don’t really know why I like it,” Gregg said. “It just something about it catches my eye and it gives me a good sensation.”

Gregg and his family also went to support Meyer at an artist’s market at Artisan Forge, a hub for artists in the Chippewa Valley area, and even has some of Meyer’s paintings hanging in his bedroom. He said this is the first of her newer work that he’s seen and he loves it.

“Each one kind of individually has its own way of speaking to you,” Gregg said. “It’s kind of hard to explain.”

Thinking about her work as a whole, Meyer hopes for her future endeavors she can reach a wider audience.

“I would like to get [my art] out to the entire world, because I think it’s got energy that will assist many people,” Meyer said. “You can see so many different things and the energy that comes out. I just envision people getting this energy no matter what they see.”
Meyer’s “Portal of Lights” collection will be on display until the end of February. More of Meyer’s work can be viewed on her Facebook page.