Fern Tallos (b. 1989) is a queer, folk/outsider artist working and living in Olympia, WA. 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, her explorations of creative expression have served as a touchstone for healing and homage to the life she has lived.

Fern is a professional freelance mural painter, while her studio practice explores smaller acrylic works on canvas and various objects. Her background in public health, herbalism, and the healing arts significantly influences the work that she creates. Fern enjoys the examination of how art and creative expression impact 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; she is 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. She believes 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.