CAT TESLA FINE ART
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About the Artist |
Born: 1963, St. Louis, MissouriFirst work of art: the birthday card I created for my grandmother when I was 3 years of age, complete with a crayola version of the Hallmark™ crown on the back.Education: a B.S. in Biology, followed by a M.S. in Genetic Counseling, and later a 2-year program in Graphic Design.Inspirations: I love the outdoors and science, especially genetics, a field I have worked in for the past 20 years. I'm a part-time faculty member in the Department of Human Genetics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit www.askthegen.org to see what I do when I'm not standing in front of an easel.My husband and business partner, Simo, is a colorectal cancer survivor and my biggest supporter. (To learn more about screening for colorectal cancer, please visit www.cancer.gov). In 2004 we moved to a lake about 20 miles outside of Atlanta, where we are outdoors year-round. The water is meditative and healing, where every moment one can feel the presence of a higher power.My work includes both ethereal landscapes and abstract designs. I am intrigued by texture, color, and the juxtaposition of shapes. My interest may have started in childhood when my mother taught me to sew clothes for my dolls and (eventually) myself. I can still spend hours in a textile store though I rarely sew anymore. The subjects I choose to paint are organic, either originating from Mother Nature, or inspired by her. I begin my mornings with meditation and then to my studio to paint. Landscapes emerge after applying a dozen or so thin layers of glazes over gesso. Viewers are often interested to know "where" the landscape is from. I suppose they emerge from my memories or the serenity of being in nature. One goal with my work is to transport the viewer into a realm of calm and respite, or perhaps to recall a memory of a favorite place or loved one.I enjoy experimenting with different materials and combining them in unexpected ways, turning my art studio into my personal laboratory. One of the hallmarks of my paintings is to integrate clay tiles into their design. At the beginning of each year at a local ceramic studio, I make several hundred small clay tiles that I call "cookies". They live together in my studio and eventually find a home on a painting. Once I have painted the landscape and textural domains, it is easy for me to see where the cookies belong.Paintings are often born from the proverbial blank canvas or small thumbnail sketches. My preference is to work without a plan and see what happens. I think this is the best way for the truth to reveal itself.Art & Science: a marriage of my careers first occurred in May of 2000, when my painting "Jagged Edge" appeared on the cover of the medical journal, Genetics in Medicine. My work has appeared on two subsequent covers of this medical journal as well as in Art Galleries and Artists of the South, the Santa Fe Opera Magazine, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and the Atlanta Museum and Gallery Guide.Representation: Tesla's work is represented by Lagerquist Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago Art Source, in Chicago, Illinois, Perry Nicole Fine Art in Memphis, Tennessee, Skyline Art Services in Houston, Texas, and Stellers Gallery in Ponte Vedra, Florida.Collections:
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