Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa Schlossberg.
Theresa, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Art has always been present in my life throughout the years. I love many different forms of art that range from traditional pencil & paints to cinematic & digital to architectural. Most of my life, I practiced the traditional arts, but always enjoyed exploring different mediums. This exploration led me to a major in Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California followed by over a decade in digital media.
After moving to Texas, I returned to the fine arts after receiving my Masters from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. Since graduating, I have focused on creating art that is an extension of myself. As an eclectic person, my art is equally wide-ranging from abstract expression to intricate botanical drawings as well as combining these forms to create works inspired by popular culture. Yet, all my artworks incorporate who I am, and encompass my life experiences creating unique works full of life, color and texture.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My art is a good representation of my personality, a complexity of self-expression, and as I mentioned, a bit eclectic. I love working in abstracts, but also enjoy losing myself in creating botanicals and pop culture inspired works.
When creating my abstract works, I love texture, vibrant colors, and generating a sense of motion. I begin with creating the base texture. This often helps drive the top level imagery or direction. In using texture, it creates a tactile response in the voyeur, a need to touch or examine closer. To further this, the use of vibrant colors creates a new sensorial experience and helps to establish the mood of the piece. Finally, through the use of dynamic brush strokes and palette knife marks, the painting comes to life evoking an emotional response or dialogue. Through these sensorial and emotional responses, the works take on a new life, new story, while sharing a piece of my inner self with the world.
Like many artists, I don’t just focus on one area. I enjoy working with ink and watercolor as well. Often inspired by scientific botanical illustrations, my botanical works are personal labor of love as they capture and connect with nature acting as a record in time. Often, these works focus on flowers at the peak of their beauty, which is often brief and fleeting. By drawing them in this manner, they remain forever to be enjoyed by others.
The last year, I have delved into the realm of creating works inspired by popular culture. For me, these works act as my space to explore and try new techniques, and concepts, while at the same time bringing something fresh and different to this genre. It is my hope to continue to push the envelope in this area, and elevate the experience.
Ultimately, the works I make are things I enjoy, and it is my hope others will enjoy them as much if not more so. Seeing potential art buyers be engaged by my works is gratifying. Yet, when their faces light up as they take a piece home, makes my heart soar. For while my story with the piece ends, a new one begins.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities, and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
To be honest, financial concerns will always be there no matter what stage you are in your career. The important thing is to not let it distract you from your end goal. While this is easier said than done, I find blocking out my time to be incredibly helpful in maintaining focus on my practice and financial goals. This method helps me create a functional work/life balance. How you chunk your time depends on your own personal circumstances, but make sure you work in at least a half-hour a day to start. That creative time is not only helpful for growing your art practice, but also helps you to shift gears mentally. Over time, as you build up you practice, that half-hour will become an hour to several hours and then days.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I am highly active on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. There you can see my latest projects, find out about coming shows and classes, as well as get a glimpse into my process.
This spring, a few of my abstract works will be in a juried group exhibition at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin. That show will run mid-March thru early June. I always enjoy participating in this show as it is a great opportunity to share my are with a larger audience.
My geek culture art will be exhibited at the Hill Country Comic Con in New Braunfels, TX, March 16-17 and later at Comicpalooza in Houston, May 10-12 followed by the Greater Austin Comic Con in Cedar Park, June 15-16. I plan on participating in 2 more conventions spanning Austin and San Antonio later in the year.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tschlossbergfineart.com
- Phone: 512-643-5619
- Email: info@tschlossbergfineart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tschlossfineart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSchlossFineArt/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TSchlossFineArt
- Other: https://etsy.com/shop/TSchlossFineArt
Image Credit:
Profile image Zac Seewald Photography
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