Today we’d like to introduce you to Teresa Bristol.
Teresa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was not much of a student growing up. I moved from New Orleans to Fort Worth and attended Fort Worth Country Day school. I remember sitting there going over assignments in my room, and I could never concentrate or think about my schoolwork the same way as my peers. It felt like my brain would not absorb the information no matter how many times I went over it. Back then, we didn’t know about A.D.D., so I was undiagnosed, and I couldn’t figure out why I was struggling so much when it came to learning certain things. I had two older brothers who were smart and good at everything, so when I got to S.M.U., my mom pushed me to pursue a career in business. She was a divorcee and thought it was important for women to have a business background. She always said to me that I needed to do something important and smart. I worked hard to get into the business school, but it was never going to happen for me. In my junior year of college, I realized I was never going to graduate from college if I continued on the path I was on.
I always made A’s in art history, and it just came naturally to me. Art sparked my curiosity and held my attention, allowing me to hyper focus on a level I had never experienced before. It was funny, I had a boyfriend who was a finance major, and he took an art history class with me, and he almost failed it. I could always look at a painting and know who painted it by the style, colors and stroke of the paintbrush. It gave me the perspective to see that it was my niche, and it made sense to me more quickly than anything else. I started taking studio art classes too, and I really liked my drawing classes. I had a class with Barnaby Fitzgerald, and he was a great teacher. I remember finally thinking, “These are my people. I feel happy here.”
I went on and graduated in art history, but I still held on to the expectations that I was raised with to pursue a more traditional career path. Even though I’d gotten a taste of what I was really passionate about, I went on to become a paralegal. I was afraid to try and get a job in art history at the time. I worked as a paralegal for a year, and I was completely out of my element. They had me working all by myself out of a tiny closet surrounded by tons of boxes of files, and I just thought to myself, “this can’t be what I’m meant to do.” I got fed up, and I finally quit. I took drawing classes with Ellen Soderquist out at Brookhaven Community College, and I was finally doing what felt right.
Through the years, I explored a variety of artistic styles, but I especially loved German Expressionism. Since discovering my love of art, I have always painted as a creative outlet. Everyday, life would pull my brain in a million different directions, but whenever I painted, I would be completely present at the moment.
Eventually, a friend of mine, Janese Deitch, called me and asked me if I wanted to get a painting studio with her. We ended up getting an awesome studio in the Continental Gin Building, and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I’ll never forget my time there. It was great to be in a space with so many talented artists from different backgrounds. Some real estate developers are now redoing the Gin Building, so I’ve moved to the GoodWork workspace with 18 other artists that I knew from my time there. I feel very lucky to share this space with these artist. Bob Nunn is the anchor for our group and we refer to ourselves as the Artist@1808. It’s great to be in a space where you can receive almost immediate feedback on your work. We will be having an Open Studio event in May.
It wasn’t until last year that I entered my art into Dwell with Dignity’s Thrift Studio and was accepted. After that, I started pushing myself to get my art out there and entered the Craighead Green Gallery Show for Texas Emerging Talent XXVI. My art was chosen out of 700 submissions from 250 artists. That was a big deal for me. I remember going into the gallery at one point, and I didn’t see my art hanging where it was supposed to be, so I was like, “Did y’all put it in the closet?” and they told me, “No! We sold it!” That was a hilarious moment to me, but it also really started to sink in that I was finally moving in the right direction. I am so grateful for that experience.
This summer, I will be participating in The Other Art Fair in Dallas Market Hall. It is being presented on May 7-10 by Saatchi Art and is showcasing emerging artists. I am looking forward to my next adventure in the art world.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life is full of struggles. The biggest challenge I faced throughout my story was finding legitimacy in the things I was the most passionate about and the most talented at doing. I don’t think that anyone who loves painting would ever say it is a chore. I get to do one of the most fun things in the world, and I get paid for it sometimes. I was always being pulled in two directions by what society expected me to do and by what I knew was right for me in my heart.
I got my associate’s degree in Graphic Design a few years ago at Brookhaven. One of the teachers pulled me aside and said, “If I were you, and I could paint as you paint, I would go paint.” That had a big effect on me. Those classes have given me the vocabulary to convey the legitimacy of my passion to those who question it. Graphic Design also helped me to market myself. I built my own website in WordPress, and I use Photoshop and Illustrator when I am planning out and making changes to my paintings. They have proved to be indispensable tools for my art.
Please tell us about your art.
I’m known for my paintings of birch trees. I also love painting flowers. I love nature. My family has a condo in Snowmass, Colorado, so I’m always outside painting and hiking in the summers. My paintings convey themes such as the beauty of life, and also its loneliness. I also love painting from unusual perspectives. Whether it is trees, flowers or people, I like strange angles and unusual viewpoints. I love to use texture and the time I spent in graphic design has influenced on my work. My painting of An Ant’s View is a perfect example of this. My brain is just weird that way. I see things differently, and I’ve learned to embrace it. My biggest weakness has become my biggest strength. I should explain that better. When you have A.D.D., it is hard for you to focus on things you are not interested in. The reverse is also true. If you are interested in something, you can hyper focus on it. My art allows me to zoom in on what I care about. I love painting. Now, I permit myself to be absorbed entirely, whatever it is I am painting.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I’ve been most proud of myself for the initiative I’ve taken to keep pushing myself to enter more shows and put myself out there. You get turned down a lot in art, so you’ve got to have a certain level of resilience to keep trying. I feel like I am doing exactly what I am meant to do and that feels good. The art community in Dallas is very supportive. Someone told me that a child of God sees both life’s clear paths and brick walls as evidence of God’s direction. I have had a lot of clear paths and brick walls, but at this moment, I feel grateful for both.
Contact Info:
- Address: Teresa Bristol
1808 S. Good Latimer
Dallas, Texas 75226 - Website: www.teresabristol.com
- Instagram: teresabristolart
Image Credit:
Teresa Rafidi
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