TERESA LAWLER
WATERCOLOR AND GLASS ARTIST
The visual artist Teresa Lawler was raised in Montauk and since marrying, raised her own family in East Hampton, NY. With one masters’ degree in Education and another in Computer Technology, she was an Art Teacher in the East Hampton public school system for 22 years.
As a schoolteacher, Teresa constantly expanded her knowledge of different mediums and techniques. She believes in the value of being an educated artist. If one doesn’t know how to use it, build it, create it, then one should try to learn how! Her exploratory approach, as an art teacher is what eventually led her to her current passion: glass fusing.
Teresa fondly remembers her first classes with Vermont glass artist Genevieve Cole. Using scientific principles to manipulate her medium and create a landscape out of glass still fills her with awe and excitement. While she enjoys photography, drawing and painting with traditional mediums, glass fusing allows her greater experimentation while still achieving a painterly style.
As an art teacher, she values the process of creating as much as the end product. One can continually recycle glass fusing, melting and breaking into pieces as many times as needed to start over with a vision that may be fulfilled, or sometimes even better, not be matched at all by the end product.
Challenging the viewer’s perception of glass art motivates Teresa to paint with glass. Many people would label glass art as “crafts.” Her works have themes of nature: landscape, beach scenes, still life-a result of growing up in Montauk. Mounted and framed, they can invoke feelings in their viewers as strong as a painting with traditional mediums. As she hones her skill, she looks forward to breaking the mental barriers toward glass art, moving away from the craft label into fine art.
In addition to Genevieve Cole, Teresa lists Vermont glass artist Simon Pearce as an influence. Also, you may see in the lines and textures of her artwork her admiration of the drawings and painting of Vincent Van Gogh. From her perspective, glass is a wonderful medium to use when producing Van Gogh’s Style.
Her most valuable influence is her father, who passed away in 1996. He told her when she was a young girl that art isn’t all in one direction. This basic truth has proved itself in her art practice and motivates her to use all mediums available when planning her vision in glass. Letting the process of art lead her in many directions, she has succeeded in creating works that still bring her home.
