About

Hi there! My name is Tara and I am the crafter behind Terra Verna. I live and work in the Pacific Northwest high desert, located east of the Cascade Mountains, in a bustling town whose claim to fame is the world's first commercial plutonium reactor. Although long shuttered, the B Reactor and its ilk have influenced the history and culture of one of the wild west's first atomic towns.

Most of my flowers and plants come from the Tri-Cities area, but there's no need to fear that they've been irradiated (although irradiation serves a very important and safe niche in agriculture!). Even though I live in a "high desert," the windblown loess soils of Eastern Washington are rich in minerals and nutrients. I've been told that if you add water, you can grow just about anything along the Columbia River Basin (yeah, that's here too. Ever heard of the Grand Coulee Dam?). Flowers are, of course, included. 

I've long been an admirer of botany. I'll never forget the springs and summers I spent roaming the Eastern Woodlands as a young adult, cataloging ephemeral wildflowers. "Terra Verna" means "spring earth--" it's meant to be a celebration of the brevity of the natural beauty of our floral compatriots. 

I do draw the line at collecting aforementioned wildflowers to use in my art. Many wildflowers are rare and at risk due to habitat loss and fragmentation. The flowers I use in my art come from my garden, local flower shops and flower farms, or are invasive and introduced species that are okay to collect.

If you have any questions or would like to chat, please feel free to send me an email at shop@terraverna.com. I'm a one-woman show, but I will try my best to respond in a timely manner! Thanks for stopping by.