Tamara grew up in rural Cape Girardeau, Missouri, a small town on the Mississippi river. She had dreamed of becoming an artist for as long as she could remember and went on to pursue her dreams by attending classes in Fine Arts at Southeast Missouri State University.
Tamara moved to Arizona and worked as an art consultant for a prominent atelier. As a consultant, she was exposed to every medium and style of painting. She discovered that one of the most intriguing facets of working with an atelier is the energy of being among painters creating. The energy reawakened her dream to be a painter but only after marrying an accomplished artist did she finally find the courage to begin painting again after a hiatus of nearly fifteen years.