Terese Urban

Sacred Art by Terese

Artist's Statement:

I love to create.  From early childhood I dabbled in all forms of two and three-dimensional art.  The center of the artistic village where I was raised was our family owned art supply store, picture framing business and gallery.  Creatives surrounded me.  My parents, older siblings, grandparents and artist/customers (consisting of artists and art lovers) were my mentors -- sharing their skills, while inspiring and encouraging me to create.  My overindulgent parents filled my toy box with all the art supplies and tools needed to support any creative endeavor. My youth was spent joyfully jumping from project to project. 

As I grew older, I continued to explore and experiment with materials instead of pursuing a formal art education.  Over twenty years ago, I became fascinated with painting spiritual images taken from the Christian tradition.  The more I researched specific subjects, the more I wanted to learn about the theological symbolism that was incorporated into sacred art.  My curiosity led me to a Masters in Pastoral Theology at St. Mary of the Woods.  This field of study opened the door to exploring ways to depict emissaries of peace and love from both Eastern and Western cultures throughout history. 

My love for variety in the use of materials and forms of art is satisfied by painting an image of an inspirational character or event.  The process may include making a gesso paint for the base coat; preparation of wooden boards – cutting, applying multiple layers of gesso and sanding; gold leafing; painting the image; and finishing.  Additionally, reproductions of the original images are made into wearable and decorative art.  My joyfully jumping from project to project has transformed into joyfully jumping from piece to piece experimenting with the many supplies in my toy box to make unique hand-crafted art objects.  Each piece is made with love.

My gratitude goes out to all the mentors in life.

3 products