ARTIST STATEMENT

I have reservations putting words with images, for the words can take over the meaning of the painting. I believe that the power of the visual should be the moving force. What people are drawn towards in an artist's work can be very different than what dIe artists perhaps thought they were accomplishing. Marcel Duchamp, one of the great revolutionary thinkers in the art world, tried unsuccessfully to destroy aesthetics in art with his ready-mades. He said: “When I discovered ready-mades I thought to discourage aesthetics. I threw the bollie rack and urinal in dleir faces and now they admire them for their aesthetic beauty.” So you see an artists work can mean other than what they intended.

Art runs through my veins with intensity and for a very long time I was not able to admit I was an artist, or much less describe what my art meant to me. My first understanding of what art was to me was in 1997. Late one evening on a cool autumn night in Italy, I was expressing my love of the camera and the infinite possibilities with a fellow student and friend. She turned to me and said, “I wish I could be seduced by something the way you are.” Her words gave me pause to reflect. I finally understood that my driving need and desire towards the arts was and is a lifetime passion. I am engaged to the magic of art and I will forever be devoted to its infinite possibilities. For, it is true, I have been seduced.

I have always desired to mix art mediums. Each art fonn has a whole different set of tools and visual possibilities. The use of oils, inks, acrylic, and collaging serves to enhance my photographic images. But, I make no mistake, the power of the paintings come from the strength of my images. One will notice naked forms and profIles. For me the paintings come alive with authority and dignity where there is no shame. I am in hopes that you will be seduced into believing you know them, and you do, they are the reminder of ones own beauty and the relationship between things, time and ourselves.

BIOGRAPHY

Teri Blodgett was born in 1954 in Alameda, California. Her father's family was from Napa and soon after she was born her parents moved back. In 1978, after a divorce, Teri moved away with her twin boys to Harrison, Arkansas to be near her mother who had moved there earlier. Teri remained in the southeast until 1987. She returned to Napa Valley in 1987 where she still lives with her husband Kim Giles.

Teri developed an artistic flair at a young age, but received little encouragement to pursue her talent. In secret she yearned to be an artist, but was not able to pursue her creativity. She began following an interest in photography in 1985 after receiving her first camera. At that time Teri discounted her ability to build a career in the arts. In addition to the struggle to overcome h~ initial discouragement and the little support she received, she found it difficult to ignore the prevailing stigma of the starving artist. During that time of her life she considered art an impractical luxury.

In 1993, Teri returned to Napa College to further her education with the goal of transferring to a four-year institution. Her initial studies were directed towards general education. Teri's ultimate goal was to peruse a career in the sciences and to transfer to the University of Davis.

In the fall of 1995, Teri transferred to Dominican University in San Rafael, California. With the driving determination to be an artist, T eri began the rigors of working concurrently in photography and other art mediums. Every new medium she tried - drawing, painting, graphic design, etching, charcoal, and graphite - served to enhance her rapidly growing skills in the arts.

Teri then traveled to Florence, Italy in 1997, to study at the Lorenzo De Medici Art Institute. Her talent grew in the arts, as she explored knew techniques. It was there that she developed her keen interest in urban photography scenes.

After returning home to California, in preparation for graduation, Teri produced and extensive portfolio. With each piece of art Teri created, she reached a new level of skill and artistic excellence. Her talent for photography grew, as did her exploration of different techniques, such as hand coloring with ink dyes on to black and white photographs, which led to some of her most thought-provoking pieces. Teri received the school's highly coveted Art Merit Award. In addition to this award, Teri completed her Bachelors of Fine Arts degree and graduated magna cum laude.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2005 Artamo Gallery, Santa Barbara, California
2001 Imani Gallery, Napa, California
1999 Shoes on First, Napa, California
1998 Alemany Library Gallery,
Dominican College, San Rafael, California


GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2005 Artamo Gallery, Santa Barbara, California
2004 Imani Gallery, Napa, California
2003 Imani Gallery, Napa, California
2002 Marin Fair, San Rafael, California
2002 Imani Gallery, Napa, California
2001 Pacific West Show Case, San Francisco, California
2000 Imani Gallery, Napa, California
2000 Napa Town & Country Fair, California
1999 Vine Village Gallery, Napa, California;
Napa Town & Country Fair, California
1998 Napa Town & Country Fair, California;
San Marco Gallery, San Rafael, California
1997 Lorenzo De Medici Gallery, Florence, Italy
1996 Napa Town & Country Fair, California;
Main Street Gallery, Napa, California
1995 Napa Town & Country Fair, California;
Main Street Gallery, Napa, California