Join Arts Walk cover artist and muralist Fern Tallos for a pop-up exhibit, available Arts Walk weekend only! Fern will be on site showing and selling their work Friday, April 24 from 5-9pm and Saturday, April 25 from 12-6pm.
“This body of work explores my current favorite subjects: still life, foods, and flowers. These acrylic on canvas paintings examine the simple and delicate beauty present in the mundane objects of our everyday lives. I am inspired by the curves of my utensils, the contrasting colors of the vegetables on my dinner plate, the way that flowers bud and then droop in the garden. As the welcomed sun streams into my studio, I am reminded that Spring always brings revival to my painting practice. I hope these works inspire the viewer to be reminded that connecting to the beautiful things in this life is as important for our spirit as breathing fresh air is for our bodies.”
Fern Tallos (b. 1989) is a queer, self-taught, folk/outsider artist working and living in Olympia. Since Fern was a child, they have been thoroughly absorbed in a practice and ritual of creating as a refuge. From plant and flower foraging to tiny messy sewing projects, collage, and ultimately painting, their explorations of creative expression have served as a touchstone for healing and homage to the life they have lived.
Fern is a professional freelance mural painter, while their studio practice explores smaller acrylic works on canvas and various objects. Their background in public health, herbalism, and the healing arts significantly influences the work that they create. Fern enjoys the examination of how creative expression impacts the world as a healing and community-building force, and how exposure to beauty functions as a gateway to greater creative expressions of the human experience; they are moved by and inspired by this impact.
Proud to be the Spring 2026 Olympia Arts Walk cover artist, Fern has received grant funding from The Olympia Artspace Alliance (OAA), is a recent addition to the Thurston County Museum of Fine Art (TCMoFA) leadership team, and sits on the board of the Downtown Olympia Creative District (DOCD). Fern’s work has been shown statewide for over 15 years. They have painted over 150 murals and don’t plan to stop anytime soon. They believe in looking on the bright side, cultivating community as an act of resistance, and that when you heal yourself you are in fact healing the world.
Learn more at ferntallos.com