About theresa
"Whyyyyy? WHY do you make art? And why paint THIS stuff?"
The question of WHY used to bother me... "Does everything need to be deep and meaningful?? I'm not that deep... really!"
Little did I know, there was much more meaning behind what I was painting than first thought. I'm still discovering the layers of why, but will share with you what I can today.
"Art is a reflection of self."
- Theresa Edwards
1 / Nature is my muse
Blues at Dusk
It has this ability to balance, invigorate, inspire, nurture and make us feel completely at ease.
Nature provides us with life and deserves great respect. It brings us back to a place of absolute peace (if we let it) in a world filled with distraction.
The calm and balance is what attracts me most. That, and of course it's incredible beauty. I find myself going back to the same places and finding new inspiration each time.
Nature catches our gaze and holds it.
Why? Because there's a constant element of surprise - pattern, texture, and things we haven't *quite* seen before. Some of this comes from the changing of seasons and life cycles, but much comes from pure nuance and imperfection.
The imperfection in nature intrigues and excites me. I mean, isn't perfection just plain boring, anyway? Have you ever noticed how some of the most beautiful things are steeped in imperfection?
Bright Ones
And that element of surprise is what I look for. Then I shine light on it... like the curled petals of a sunflower past bloom or the hanging branches of an old pine.
Capturing the feeling of a moment that was completely still, where I felt at peace with quiet contentment. A moment that made me smile and deeply breathe fresh air - that's what I'm trying to capture. I want you to experience too.
Changes in light, temperature or time of year can make the same scene incredibly different and beautiful in brand new ways.
2 / Making art is calming & nourishing
It's like therapy for the soul...
As a sensitive person and an introvert, finding ways to replenish my energy and come back to center is key to feeling good. Art does that for me.
It's also a reprieve - a cozy and safe space in a world that can be overwhelmingly full of noise.
A place where I can just be me.
When I'm alone and surrounded by paint and canvas, I sink into creativity and let go of expectation. I mix paint, watch beautiful colors unfold, and relish the first strokes on the bright surface of a brand new painting.
No judgement. No right or wrong. Just pure expression. Who knows what will emerge? That's where making art can really get fun - you never know when the next great thing will spill out.
3 / Art allows freedom to express
Perfect Day
It's incredibly refreshing to see unique marks unfold in art. Each and every one of us has an individual mark that literally comes out when we create.
From the time we first put crayon to paper, it begins. Our spontaneous drawings and paintings as children are probably the most pure expression we ever produce, before thought and opinion begin to creep in.
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." - Pablo Picasso
Picasso was right (unfortunately)...
I strive for an element of rawness in my work and highly value when it appears. When I get a glimpse of pure expression flowing through me, it is absolute joy.
Tapping into this is where I believe we begin to add value, beauty and happiness to the world.
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From then to now
My Story
Ever since I was a young girl, I dreamed of being an artist.
Yes, I'm one of THOSE people who's always known what they wanted to do! In fact, I've been absolutely sure I was an artist long before making anything that could be considered skillful.
For me, there's a strong internal connection with making art - it gives me peace and I feel completely at home, doing it. There are no boundaries, creativity makes things soo interesting, and the possibilities can be truly endless.
I love being able to interpret something in my environment in a new way. To create a piece that's never been seen before. To follow intuition and make art completely unique in its marks and energy.
At age 12, I took a 6-week course where I fell in love with paint.
My parents drove me once a week to a local artist's log home on the prairies (where we lived at the time) to learn and create in her studio. Imagine beautiful wood everywhere, vaulted ceilings, and windows that looked out towards the natural landscape.
My childhood was spent in Saskatchewan. Long winters provided plenty of time to fill by making art. Drawing, coloring, painting, crafting... I loved making everything! So much that I would stash toilet paper rolls, buttons, paper clips - you name it - and store them away for my next strange project.
But even with this overwhelming attraction to creating art, it didn't become my focus until decades later, as I went on to pursue a more "stable" career.
Eventually my inner voice prevailed... and after 13 years in graphic design, I finally made the leap to full-time artist. I'd been living in BC for a decade and a half, where my surroundings would become the biggest influence in my practice.
Now I spend my days obsessing over which hillside or flower to paint next :)
One of my favorite things is to be in nature, so I'm amassing an ever-growing library of hiking photos (and an ever-growing list of things to paint!)
I'm grateful to live and be able to share such a gorgeous part of the world - the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada.
Expressing the world through art has be one of the best jobs in the world... and I'm happy to do it!
The further I walk down this path, the more it becomes about creating an emotional connection between people, the land, and things that grow and thrive from it.
I create from my studio in Kelowna, BC Canada, just three blocks from the nearest trail.
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