14 Oct Meet The Artist: Teresa Roche
Explain the process you go through for your work. What draws you to the
mediums you choose?
I like painting on wood surfaces because of the texture. I use photos to get me started and once I draw lines and marks and get a composition that I like, I start adding paint. Once the paint is dry I sand off and add more paint. I continue to sand, smooth, add more paint for at least 3-4 layers.
What peaked your interest in art?
Even as a child I loved projects in school, anything that allowed me to use scissors, paper, glue and paint. I’ve enjoyed doing that for as long as I can remember. The idea of taking things apart and putting them back together in different ways is exciting to me.
How would you describe your style of art?
My art is conceptual and abstract in style. I use memories of travel and family experiences as my starting point and then turn my work in to a type of narrative for those memories. My paintings are never realistic, but you can sometimes see a consistent thread in them as obvious in my “Out to Dry 2” Series. I like working with a neutral palette and adding pops of color inspired by my experiences.
Where do you gather most of the inspiration for your work?
Almost all of my inspiration comes from family experiences, family memories, traveling with family. When I travel and am away from my day-to-day environment I get swept up in the small details. For example, one of my favorite things about being in Italy was seeing the blowing laundry hanging from balconies. The beautiful green vines that attach themselves to the lines and hang off. That’s odd I know with all there is to see in Italy, but the everyday, mundane details of life are magical to me when the light hits them in a certain way. I like to refer to the laundry as life flags.
What’s your favorite piece of your own work?
I did a series of “Seed” pieces that were collages with paint, paper and fabric. This series was based on the birth and life of my son. I loved every single one of them. I related the idea of gardening with preparing the soil, watering, sprouting, nurturing, rallying after storm damage to raising children. Children have to have a strong foundation and they too weather storms as they grow and if they are nurtured and loved unconditionally, they one day bloom.
What’s an interesting fact about you or your work?
I was a dance major at Columbia College. I imagine that when I’m making a piece of art, I am choreographing a dance.
What famous artist do you most admire?
That’s a tough one. There are so many. I would have to say Helen Frankenthayler.
To learn more about Teresa Roche visit her website.
Teresa’s art will be on display at the Main Street Real Estate Gallery from October 1- December 31.
