Teresa Samolewicz

Her love and appreciation of art were always there. Growing up she was surrounded by original works of art belonging to various members of her artistic family; father, siblings, uncle and cousins. She has always had a long-standing, smouldering love and appreciation of art. Art is in her blood.

Her catalyst was a change of lifestyle, sailing across oceans and visiting remote cultures and communities. In New Zealand, she was given a ‘key’, by a wonderful professor, which enabled her to unlock her artist soul, to paint instinctively as a duck would take to the water. She discovered watercolour to be the ideal medium for her cockpit studio. More importantly, she embarked upon a love affair of colour.

She stays curious and is passionate about using colour to tell her story. She aims to evoke a sense of raw atmosphere. She is drawn to the ethereal as well as the strong and bold. Yet she is equally happy to show the beauty of flower details in soft, delicate colours. She likes to ‘feel’ the paint, to blend on the canvas in an intuitive way. She makes luscious textural paint tell her story. All are apparent in my work.

Her paintings are her words. Her voice and style are strong in showing us the colour and simplicity of the moment, in sensitively capturing the essence.

Her earlier career in the primary sector, and later in peripatetic art teaching, fostered her artistic creativity and understanding, as seen through the eyes of a child. With nursery children, youngsters, and adults alike she explored media and technique from their most basic to the more sophisticated and exciting use. It was only as a mature adult that her personal artistic talent was to come to the fore. Little did she expect her life to change direction from a Teacher to a Sailor, to an Artist, but become an artist, she did!

Being self- taught and hungry for artistic learning, she structured further discovery and exploration of other media, availing herself of the many GSA and University art courses available to her over the last four years. Her love and passion for using oil paint in a thick and luscious manner stay strong. She actively continues working in the Life Studio, which continues to hone her observational skills.

She is a member of the SSA, DAS and other local art groups where she exhibits and sells. She has had commissions while in New Zealand and has work hanging mainly in Scotland, England, and America.