Theresa Sweeney, Rochester, NY
Member Since August 2008
Artist Statement Theresa Sweeney, Ecopsychologist and wildlife artist, did not need a teacher, class, or book to discover her passions for art and animals. It was innate. Her first painting, an oil portrait of a kitten done when she was eight, foreshadowed what would become her life’s pursuit - using art to help people reconnect with Nature.
Theresa was born November 11, 1961, in Rochester, N.Y. to two accomplished artists who esteemed her creativity and gave her faith in her talent. Watching them paint and asking questions, she picked up many basic drawing and painting skills. Avid Nature lovers, her parents also understood and respected her appreciation for the beauty of the natural world. She recalls many powerful and wonderful experiences from her early childhood that nurtured her passion for the outdoors.
“Catching frogs in the creek behind our house, the pets we raised, my Mom’s interest in gardening, early morning fishing trips with my Dad, our family camping trips into the wilderness - all of these happy memories deepened my respect and awe for the web of life,” Theresa says.
By the time she was ten, Theresa was winning poster contests in school and drawing animal portraits for her family and friends. Today her artwork is exhibited in galleries and personal collections around the country.
"My art, simply put," says Theresa, "is a celebration of our connection to Nature. It calls forth the idea that there is no separation between us and Nature and that the speaking and the non-speaking are seamlessly woven in Oneness.
Nature inspires people because it reaches that non-verbal knowingness deep inside us that we are part of something much larger than ourselves.
I am often overwhelmed by the sense of spirit that comes alive in my drawings when I put the eyes in. I believe that that which we see is also looking back at us with mutual awe - who are you and what are you all about? I love the opportunity my art gives me to explore the mystery.
We are drawn to things in Nature because they have a message for us. I invite you to look into the eyes of the animals and find yourself."
Click to save as artist's preferred kit 
