About Teresa/Biography:



I am a self-taught artist. I have over 20 years of experience creating original, one-of-a-kind faux finishes on a wide variety of surfaces. My work can be found in numerous commercial and residential establishments in the central NY area including Fanny’s Restaurant in Buffalo, NY.

I thrive on creating art on furniture, fireplace surrounds, architectural moldings, wallpaper, and trompe l’oeil murals, to name just a few. While some of my work is designed on fixed surfaces such as walls, most of it is “portable" which allows it to be carried with the owner even if they move. My newest endeavor along these lines is the creation of my surface designs on wallpaper that can be painted off-site, installed as easily as wallpaper, and even removed and brought to another location if the owner so desires. This collection is comprised of hand-painted wallpapers with companion architectural elements such as pillars, moldings, fireplace surrounds, knobs, etc. I am now also selling frameable smaller panels of images, such as shown in my logo design, and paintings on canvas.

My passion for old world art, architectural elements, gardening, nature, is evident in the wide variety of subject matter I create. To me art is life and life is art. I grew up in Sicily where art was and is away of life.

Artist’s statement:

My art is a reflection of me.

Born and raised in Sicily, even as a little girl, I have always been influenced by what I see. My philosophy of my art is as follows. I truly believe that one’s mood is affected by one’s surroundings. I love to create atmosphere, with color and subjects that everyone can relate to.

My passion for incorporating, flower, fauna and architectural elements is why the “Sicilian Princess Collection" was created. I love living in Central, NY. When spring arrives, the abundance of beauty between color and nature’s bounty overwhelms me each and every time.

On my mother’s side I come from a family of master craftsmen and artists, but I think I am also an artist because of where I was born, Porto Empedocle in Sicily. The home I was born in was over 1,000 years old! We were a working class family who lived with incredible interiors. We had marble floors, walls decorated with frescos and a terrace in every room that overlooked a beautiful piazza. The scale of architecture and craftsmanship that surrounded me as I grew up was huge and timeless. Now, I live in a 160-year-old farm house, that feeds me with inspiration that is forever reflected in my work. Visit my Studio page to read more about the carriage house on our property that my husband, Gino, is restoring, and that I use for a studio. I love to create trompe l’oeil, to restore, to recycle, to re-invent. I am a Renaissance woman, who is continuously inspired by the past and the present. I truly believe that art is life and life is art.

I’ve designed a collection of hand-painted canvases, moldings, architectural elements, fireplace surrounds and one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture that are both timeless and practical. The wall designs can be easily installed and taken down to be re-used even years later. For example, the children’s collection “Oh Boy!" or “Oh Girl!" might become an heirloom to be saved for another generation. I call them timeless treasures.

One of the major appealing aspects of my work is that I don’t need to install the canvas myself. Any good wallpaper hanger can install my work. A skilled carpenter can install all of my architectural designs. If the project is large or complex, I will supervise the installation. This allows me to concentrate my energies on my art and gives my clients flexibility regarding the installation.

Please feel free to contact me at:

tavdesigns@aol.com

with any questions you may have about my work.

Ciao,