Teresa Nolen Pratt

My artwork has always been about connections—connections to emotions, to family, to nature, to our animal friends. Though I have painted off and on most of my life, I began as a fiber and sculptural artist and did juried shows on a regular basis. My love of painting was revived out of necessity when my father was killed in a tragic accident in early 2005. Painting literally became my lifeline and therapy through that difficult grief process; it was the only activity from which I could get relief. Little did I know that tragic event would leave in its wake the unexpected gift of a new artistic focus.

Most of my paintings these days concentrate on the happiness and laughter I get from the human-animal bond. I find joy in sharing the antics of our animal friends and in most of my art there is an off-beat sense of humor pulsing throughout the compositions. I work primarily in acrylics on canvas/wood and more recently have been doing scratchboard with ink applied in layers. In the acrylics you’ll find a lot of scumbling, sgraffito, and layering. In the scratchboard pieces you’ll find I am obsessed with densely layered and swirly lines—a “condition” I have suffered from since grammar school. Let’s just say my favorite toy was the Spirograph!

My models and muses are two hefty cats named Yuki and Peanut and two dogs named Petey and Pepper. I am grateful to them (and my two-legged family) who put smiles in my heart on a daily basis. It is these joys (and amusements) I hope to share through the art I create. I also use my spare time to help get dogs and cats to rescues. The two dogs in my photograph are two such dogs, a Catahoula named Gizmo, and Nero, the Siberian Husky mix. Helping animals whenever I can gives me great joy!

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