Terry Lynn Shotton - Artist Statement



My life has never gone in a straight line......from point a to point b. For instance, I began college as an art major, obtained a degree in Business Management, and 30 years later returned to art school.

I create my art in the same way that I’ve lived my life. I begin each piece with a concept but rarely with a complete idea. That's 'just me' and I've learned to accept that. My paintings have to evolve. I begin with a base painting - at this point it may even look complete to some. I am rarely satisfied at this point. I leave the painting to ‘rest’ and look at it again the next day. I have a need to paint in bright colors and many layers of paint. More often than not, I will put new colors over old and maybe change the composition slightly (or drastically!) - adding, subtracting, letting the base painting show in areas. Sometimes, my husband will ask, “Is that the same painting from yesterday?" My art ‘career’ began with watercolors and perhaps you can understand why I was so frustrated with this beginning medium and why each and every one was completely tortured, overworked, and an utter disaster. I must work on a painting until my emotions are satisfied. Switching to oil made all the difference. In art school we drew and painted to copy life. I have found that my most satisfying painting experience is not to copy reality but to evoke emotion. Bright colors and invented subjects are the hallmark of my paintings. I want to surround myself and create art that makes me feel uplifted and happy.

For several years I painted ‘en plein aire’. There are a couple of those paintings on my website. While I very much enjoyed the camaraderie, I was bored with the process of copying what was before me. It finally occurred to me that it was the landscapes in my mind that I must paint and needed to paint.