About the artist

Born in April of 1961, Terry and his family reside just minutes from the Great River Road in Illinois - located in the heart of the United States where the Illinois, Missouri and Mississippi rivers converge. He loves the beauty of the seasonal variations. When the weather turns too cold to be outdoors, Terry picks up a pencil or paintbrush. Terry is a loving devoted husband, father, and grandpa and loves to play just about any game or sport. He is employed by a local Civil Engineering firm, where he has worked since 1983.

Terry was attending elementary school in Dupo, IL when first told that he was "color blind," which would forever influence his accomplishments as an artist. When the other kids in school were coloring rainbows and flowers, Terry took to drawing with a #2 lead pencil - which he still prefers over any other art medium today. At an early age, Terry discovered (he would say, "out of boredom") that he had a talent for drawing, so he kept his mind busy by replicating objects in his home environment. It was not until his early teens that his imagination and thematic design took root in his detailed sketches.
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In a recent interview with Terry, I asked him how being color blind influences his art and he replied, "I feel it has allowed a kind of freedom to evaluate the world with less distractions. Poor color vision is actually awesome if you can survive it.  My family members are always wishing they could see through my eyes ~ if for only a day. It is very interesting really... I mean - you don't miss what you have never known and I feel it allows me to see beyond the colors that most people depend on.  It was bit of a challenge when I started painting though ~ smiling."
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After graduating high school, Terry joined the US Navy. After basic training, Terry was assigned as part of a Naval Construction Battalion (SeaBee) working on a survey crew on Diego Garcia - one of the 52 coral atolls of the Chagos Archipelago, located in the Indian Ocean 960 miles south of the equator. It was there where Terry learned the fundamental skills for land surveying and civil design. While Terry very much appreciated the skills he attained while in the Navy, the military did not prove conducive to Terry's personality. He was honorably discharged in April of 1983, and reported, the very next day, to work at the Civil Engineering firm where he continues to work today as a Senior CAD Draftsman and 3D-Designer.
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When interviewing Terry, I asked if the surveying skills he gained while in the Navy is what got him the job at M.B. Corlew & Associates. His response was, "No, not at all. Actually, Phil Corlew hired me because he was impressed with the bird dog drawing I brought to the interview. He could have hired anyone to hold a rod out in the field for a survey crew, but he saw potential in me because of my artistic abilities."
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Terry separates his artwork into 2 categories: Natural and Allegorical. Terry's real "artistic" obsession lies with his Allegorical (thematic) drawings. Through thematic drawing, Terry explores human psychology and philosophy in a very thought provoking way. He could probably talk for hours about what each of his drawings mean to him, but leaves interpretation up to the individual. "It may mean something to someone else that I never really ever thought of, and that's great. That's what art is all about." Terry admits that some of his thematic work has been influenced by the surrealistic art of Salvador Dali and the philosophical writings of Carl Sagan.

It was not until Terry's wife, Sue, put a paint brush in his hand on their 15th wedding anniversary that he began creating Natural pieces. Understanding how talented and patient an artist Terry is, Sue believed - color blind or not - it was necessary for Terry to at least attempt a go at painting, so she enrolled him in an oil painting class at a local community college as an anniversary gift. Sue gave him a picture of some pretty red roses that she loved and he quickly drew them on the empty canvas. She gave him different shades of greens and reds, whites and blacks and said go for it! It was very clear from the start that Terry had a natural talent for painting, but decoding the colors on his pallet after initially placing them there was another story. Labeling his pallet became necessary after realizing he was painting leaves red and petals green. Nothing they could not overcome though. After a few classes, each of the students had to share their work to the class. His art instructor was shocked at his progress and wanted to know why Terry was in a beginner’s class... there was really nothing she felt she could help him with.
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It was quite a breakthrough when Terry realized his ability to paint. His first oil paintings were all been done with purpose for family and friends and are all quite remarkable. One of his most dramatic oil paintings was completed as a dedication piece for the St. Louis University, Parks Guard Rifle Drill Team which was dedicated to the team after they took 1st place VUIDM in the National 12-Man Senior Armed Exhibition Drill competition, beating out the Annapolis drill team. Terry's son, Nicklaus, was the Parks Guard Rifle Drill Team Commander at the time. Terry's older son, Mitchell, wrote a science fiction novel with a writing partner in the UK and Terry created illustrations and a cover painting for the book. Terry's wife, Sue, is very encouraging and always there to help with colors!

At the time of this Bio, Terry recently completed 2 Allegorical Oil Paintings - Futboland © and REALIGN © - both were originally completed in lead and pencil. He is currently working on his 3rd Allegorical Oil Painting, EyeCon ©, which he completed in lead and pencil in 2010. Each of his Allegorical works were released as grey-scale prints in 2010. He has several other works in progress.

Beth Hart ~ 9 APRIL 2020