Questions?
If you have questions about a piece of artwork you are considering, please contact me! I’m a real person and happy to discuss matting and framing options, tell you more about a painting, provide additional images, etc. Email is the best way to reach me: me@TeressaLJackson.com. Please note that I am not currently accepting commissions.
Biography
Growing up along the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky, Teressa Jackson spent her youth collecting rocks and painting portraits and imaginary mountain landscapes. She received a B.A. in studio art (painting emphasis) from Bellarmine University in 1998, then worked for 20 years in Louisville’s nonprofit sector. In 2016, she returned to her roots, spending a full year traveling the western U.S. and Caribbean and creating over 100 paintings during that journey. Teressa and her husband then relocated to Arizona, where they lived for four years before moving to Costa Mesa, California. In late 2024, they once again relocated, this time to the charming historic seaside town of Monterey, California. She is a lover of solitude, wide open spaces, and wildness, and remains a self-proclaimed “desert rat,” even if most of her art finds its inspiration in coastal California nowadays.
Teressa currently works as a full-time artist and part-time marketing and fundraising consultant. Her work has been featured on the cover of the Tucson Weekly; in Voyage LA, CanvasRebel, ShoutoutArizona, and Voyage Phoenix; and has been shown at the Phoenix Airport Museum at Sky Harbor International Airport, FOUND:RE Contemporary, Crystal Cove State Park, the Cottage Gallery on Los Rios, the Tubac Center of the Arts, and Huntington Beach Art Center. Teressa is a juried exhibitor at the Laguna Art-A-Fair in Laguna Beach. She is a member of the Miniature Art Society of Florida, one of her miniature paintings received the 2023 City Hall Choice Award in the Art That’s Small at City Hall exhibition at Laguna Beach City Hall, and three of her miniatures were juried into an international exhibition with the Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, D.C., in 2024.
Artist's Statement
As a child, my imagination was captured by the concept of pointillism, gazing in awe at Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. As an adult, I became a collector of folk and outsider art, drawn to its authentic expression, bright colors, and bold patterns. Studying nature has shown me that pattern and repetition are very natural concepts, occurring all around us. These interests and inclinations have shaped my painting subjects, style, and use of color.
Working in richly pigmented transparent watercolor and gouache (opaque watercolor) paint, my work is primarily focused on my whimsical view of the natural world. All of my paintings are created using strictly my own original photography, life, or my imagination as reference. I have fallen into a niche of creating miniature paintings, and many of my works measure just 2x3”. A miniature scale provides a profound restriction in which to create a compelling scene, and an opportunity to incorporate the tiny details that make my heart happy. I believe that working in a small scale and incorporating intricate details into my paintings has the lovely effect of forcing both the artist and the viewer to slow down, just like the wild places I seek to depict in my work. To truly see the piece, you must pause and take a moment – breathe, gaze, wonder – something most of us don’t do often enough.
Curriculum Vitae
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
Major in Studio Art (Painting Emphasis), G.P.A.: 3.54/4.0. Degree Granted: 1998
Graduate Level Study Abroad, State University of New York New Paltz, New Paltz, NY
Byzantine Mosaics and Frescoes of Rome, Ravenna, and Venice. Coursework: Summer 1998
Master of Public Administration, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Public Policy & Administration Focus, Degree Granted: Dec. 2002
GALLERY REPRESENTATION
The Park Interpretive Store operated by Crystal Cove Conservancy in the historic district of Crystal Cove State Park, Newport Beach, CA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020: Solo Exhibition, Industrious Scottsdale Fashion Square, Scottsdale, AZ
2019: Solo Exhibition, Industrious Tempe, Tempe, AZ
2000: Solo Exhibition, Crescent Hill Public Library, Louisville, KY
1998: Senior Solo Exhibition, McGrath Gallery, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024: “91st Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature” (Juried), The Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, D.C. (MPSGS), The Mansion at Strathmore, North Bethesda, MD
2024: Laguna Art-A-Fair (Juried), Laguna Beach, CA
2024: “Spring Garden Art Faire” (invitational), Sherman Library & Gardens, Corona del Mar, CA
2024: Art Bazaar (invitational), Crystal Cove State Park, Newport Beach, CA
2024: “Art That’s Small at City Hall,” Laguna Beach City Hall, Laguna Beach, CA
2024: “2024 Arizona Aqueous XXXVIII” (Juried), Tubac Center of the Arts, Tubac, AZ
2023: “Crystal Cove Holiday Bazaar” (invitational), Crystal Cove State Park, Newport Beach, CA
2023: “Inspired 2023,” Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA
2023: Laguna Art-A-Fair (Juried), Laguna Beach, CA
2023: “Spring Garden Art Faire” (invitational), Sherman Library & Gardens, Corona del Mar, CA
2023: “Nature” (juried), Orange County Fine Arts Showcase Gallery, Santa Ana, CA
2023: “Art That’s Small at City Hall,” Laguna Beach City Hall, Laguna Beach, CA
2023: “Centered on the Center,” Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA
2023: “2023 Arizona Aqueous XXXVII” (Juried), Tubac Center of the Arts, Tubac, AZ
2022: “Inspired 2022,” Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA
2022: Laguna Art-A-Fair (Juried), Laguna Beach, CA
2022: Pop Up Shop, Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA
2022: “Mujeres, Mujeres, Mujeres” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2022: “Centered on the Center,” Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA
2021: “Poco a Poco” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2021: “All Things Paper” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2021: “XSCAPE: Landscapes, Cityscapes and Mindscapes” (Juried), FOUND:RE Contemporary, Phoenix, AZ
2021: “Agua Sagrada” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2021: “Mujeres, Mujeres, Mujeres” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2021: “Portland on the Park Collection Exhibition” (Juried), Portland on the Park, Phoenix, AZ
2021: “Life on Paper: Arizona Watercolor Association Spring Exhibition” (Juried), Shemer Art Center, Phoenix, AZ
2021: “21st Annual Artlink Juried Exhibition,” FOUND:RE Contemporary, Phoenix, AZ
2021: “Just Add Water” (Juried), Phoenix Airport Museum, Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, AZ
2021: “The [Indexhibit] Series 2,” The Mood Room, Phoenix, AZ
2020: “Regalitos” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2020: “Arizona Watercolor Association COVID Virtual Show,” www.azwatercolor.com
2020: “Corazones Unidos” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2020: “Salon Forty Eight,” The Mood Room, Phoenix, AZ
2019: “Tiny Works V” (Juried), {9} The Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2019: “Regalitos” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2019: “Colaboraciones” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2019: “Share Our Walls” (Juried), Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild, Tucson, AZ
2019: “Historias e Identidades (Histories and Identities)” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2019: “Common Ground” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2019: “Año Nuevo, Obras Nuevas (New Year, New Works)” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2018: “Tesoros Pequeños” (Juried), Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, Tucson, AZ
2018: “Small Wonders,” The Drawing Studio, Tucson, AZ
2018: “Moments” (Duo Exhibition), Epic Cafe, Tucson, AZ
2009: “Alumni Art Show,” Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
2007: “Alumni Art Show,” Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
2006: Group Exhibition, Mellwood Art & Entertainment Center Gallery, Louisville, KY
2004: “Harvest Homecoming Juried Art Show,” Harvest Homecoming Festival, New Albany, IN
2003: “Harvest Homecoming Juried Art Show,” Harvest Homecoming Festival, New Albany, IN
2002: “Harvest Homecoming Juried Art Show,” Harvest Homecoming Festival, New Albany, IN
1998: “Jasper Community Arts Commission Juried Show,” Krempp Gallery, Jasper Civic Auditorium, Jasper, IN
1998: “The Central Kentucky National Fine Art Exhibition” (Juried), Elizabethtown Community College, Elizabethtown, KY
1997: “Cat's Pajamas” (Invitational), Brownsboro Gallery, Louisville, KY
1997: “Ohio Valley Annual” (Juried), Floyd County Museum, New Albany, IN
1997: “The All-Kentucky University Open” (Juried), Loudoun House Gallery, Lexington Art League, Lexington, KY
1996: “The All-Kentucky University Open” (Juried), Loudoun House Gallery, Lexington Art League, Lexington, KY
1996: “Fifty-Eighth Annual No-Jury Art Show,” The Woman's Club of Louisville, KY
1995: “Fifty-Seventh Annual No-Jury Art Show,” The Woman's Club of Louisville, KY
1994: “Artswatch Members Show,” Artswatch Gallery, Louisville, KY
PUBLICATIONS & REVIEWS
2024: “Life & Work with Teressa Jackson,” Voyage LA, June 24,2024 (voyagela.com/interview/life-work-with-teressa-jackson)
2023: “Meet Teressa Jackson,” CanvasRebel, October 2, 2023 (canvasrebel.com/meet-teressa-jackson)
2020: “Meet Teressa Jackson: Professional Artist,” ShoutoutArizona, November 23, 2020 (shoutoutarizona.com/meet-teressa-jackson-professional-artist)
2020: Magazine cover feature and review in article by Regan, Margaret: “ARTS 2020: Galleries, museums emerging from pandemic hibernation,” Tucson Weekly, September 3-9, 2020, issue, Vol. 37, No. 30
2018: “Meet Teressa Jackson,” Voyage Phoenix, May 15, 2018 (voyagephoenix.com/interview/meet-teressa-jackson)
2005: Lowry, Kyle: “Youth Shelter Residents Leaving Their Mark with Mural,” News & Tribune
2005: Lowry, Kyle: “Youth Shelter Helping Hurricane Victims,” News & Tribune
HONORS & AWARDS
2023: City Hall Choice Award, “Art That’s Small at City Hall,” Laguna Beach City Hall, Laguna Beach, CA
2002: Graduate Dean's Citation, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
1998: Honorable Mention, “Annual Student Art Exhibition,” McGrath Gallery, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
1998: Cum Laude Graduate, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
1997: Merit Award, “Fifty-Ninth Annual No-Jury Art Show,” The Woman's Club of Louisville, KY
1997: Merit Award, “Louisville Metroversity Art Competition” (Juried), Huff Gallery, Spalding University, Louisville, KY
1997: Best of Show, “Annual Student Art Exhibition,” McGrath Gallery, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
1996: Best Two-Dimensional Work, “Annual Student Art Exhibition,” McGrath Gallery, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
1996: Merit Award, “Louisville Metroversity Art Competition” (Juried), McGrath Gallery, Bellarmine Univ., Louisville, KY
1995: Honorable Mention, “Annual Student Art Exhibition,” McGrath Gallery, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
1994-1998: Recipient of academic and fine arts scholarships, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY