Hello Friends,
Happy Tuesday! My artist talk at Ragazza is set for Wednesday, March 22. Yay. Hope you can join us.
Seating will be limited to 30, so please RSVP to reserve your spot. Details in the Eventbrite link below.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/artist-talk-with-teresa-dirks-at-ragazza-tickets-571784170847
If you have any further questions, please let me know. Happy to help.
All my best,
Teresa
Teresa Dirks
Contemporary Artist
Happy FriYaY Friends!
My new work from the new series: Rainbow In Between is up at Ragazza until April. Drop by. Tell them I sent you. See more images and my Artist Statement below. Thanks for checking it out and for your support. Let me know and I will meet you there!
Sending Love,
Teresa
Artist Statement
This work is a reflection of what has happened to us as a whole, as a collective, over the past six years. It’s about the good, the bad and the beautiful in between. Inspired from a passage in a book by author Monica Bloom, where she wrote about the black and the white and that gray area in between. She communicated how it is so hard to process and unpack that gray middle area. She relayed that, it is our perspective that needs to adjust. This realization brought me to this series, “The Rainbow in Between.” Why not change our attitude to see the gray as a rainbow? This view correlates the anxiety that we have all felt dealing with current affairs, inequities, and social injustices since 2016. It has been a lot. With that said, this series represents the quest and the search for the abundant magic that happens in this world and the celebration of the human spirit and love that surrounds us every day. See and be the shine and shimmer.
Thanks for caring and making the world better,
Teresa Dirks
-Follow me on Instagram and Facebook
P.S. Go Chiefs!
Where the Light Enters You is about what is possible in life. The beauty. The joy. The love. It is about the impossible . . . made possible. This painting is a panorama or vision of what we can do to make our world kinder, of the beauty that we can share, and the possibilities when we put our minds together for good. I want you to walk away from this painting and hold that vision in your heart and to embrace humanity with new perspective. (Where the Light Enters You is from a Rumi quote.)
Click here to go to the link at VoyageKC Interview
Today we’d like to introduce you to Teresa Dirks.
Hi Teresa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up in the rural quasi-south, near the Mississippi River, around seamstresses, quilters, gardeners, and farmers, I learned to love nature, nurture, growing, cultivation and making. This made me. Creative.
My name is Teresa Dirks and I am a KC based artist, poet, and painter… I am a former environmental educator and art educator, originally from rural Southeast Missouri about 2 hours north of Memphis, TN. I lived my first three decades as a small, town gal. I have always felt deeply and known my desire was to do something with my hands, but I didn’t come to paint until I was in my thirties. That was three decades ago which is unbelievable. Yes, that puts me in my sixties, but I am just getting started. Don’t let these natural highlights fool you… Betty White and Judy Chicago are on to something… wink, wink.
More background, Dave and I lived in a geodesic dome we built. We raised a beautiful family and had lots of magical moments on that farm. The farm delta and horizon helped to define my work along with other things. Artistically, I began in photography and started with hand-painted, black and white, fiber photos. That process was luscious. After a time, this led me to paint. It was sudden, one day I said, “I am supposed to paint. This is what I was put here to do.” One moment in particular, on a trip to the STL Museum, I saw my first Morris Louis. I fell in love with art. I can’t really put to words what I felt. The sensation was life-altering. It was a monumental moment. Deeply monumental.
As an adult and mother, I went back to school and studied English and Art. I have a BA in Creative Writing, an emphasis in Poetry, and a Minor in Art. Later, I went back for my Master’s to teach Art.
In 2010, we had the opportunity to move close to KC and my first granddaughter. We jumped on it. We were in Warrensburg and this sparked opportunities: The prestigious MO50 Art Show and from that, I won a 2011 Missouri Art Council Award. In 2013, we moved to KC, and in 2016, I moved into my first “out of the home” studio. My studio was in the historical Kansas City Livestock Exchange Building and was such a great location overlooking the city skyline: You could see the Kaw and Missouri rivers, the train tracks, the bluffs, and the skyline along with being studio neighbors to some of the best Kansas City-based artists. I treasure my time there.
During that time, I was active in the Livestock Exchange Building Open Studios and was Co-facilitator for several years. This experience allowed me to interact with so many amazing creatives. My years at the Livestock and in the Kansas City Arts Community were extremely beneficial and solidified my devotion to the KC community and the arts. My work and life have grown because of the vibrant and giving artist community here in KC. I am so grateful! Kansas City is such a wonderful place to create.
Unfortunately in July 2020 due to the pandemic, I chose to move back to my home studio in Weatherby Lake.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Personally: The first 25 years of my life had a couple of big bumps, but that made me stronger, no doubt. Something that I have learned is that to be happy, you have to think happy. You are responsible for that. No one else. I believe people who are happy and healthy focus on lifelong learning, trying new experiences, expanding their knowledge, and above all being flexible and pivoting. Pivoting is vital to staying vital. And I believe in walking. Walking is the best and cheapest therapy ever.
Professionally: Selling art and the business side of the arts is hard, (insert deep and long whine for effect)… With that said, finding the correct market for your artwork is challenging. Staying on top of technology is challenging. Running a small business is challenging. Having proper and affordable studio space is challenging. And I won’t get into photographing artwork… it all takes skill, diligence, energy, time, and money… I do not like to complain, because so many folks are hurting these days. “Remember, I say to myself, ‘These are all first world problems. I am fortunate to be doing what I love.’ I am grateful that I have this opportunity.
Creatively: As I said, I moved back to my home studio during the pandemic. I find it hard to talk about this, but my perspective has changed immensely because of the suffering, injustices, and political unrest. Currently, I am searching for something more meaningful. I am still painting, but I want to pivot, as I said before, into something that is more environmentally sustainable and beneficial to humanity. I am gathering my intentions and hoping to come together with a new body of work in the next year or two.
An artist friend once told me, if someone asks how long it took to become an artist or to paint a specific artwork, the answer is, “It has taken me all my life.” Essentially and succinctly, that is the best answer because all of my collective experiences have led me to where I am now. The good times. The bad times. The fun times. The sad times. My life experiences, my education, and my years of expertise make my artwork what it is today.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Creatively: Recently, we presented the show (at the Frank Lloyd Wright Church near the Country Club Plaza,) “Conscious Love,” which was an artist collaboration with two phenomenal poets, Poet T.L. Sanders and Kansas Poet Laureate Huascar Medina. The performance and evening were breathtaking. Tremendously proud of what we created and hope to expand on this art/poetry concept in the near future.
My artwork is contemporary, linear, and primarily all mixed media painting. My concept is that no matter who you are, or where you live, you have a horizon, a skyline, or a sunset, and that is a connection to humanity that each individual has experienced. This is an environmental and emotional string or connection that ties us together. My work is an abstraction of that concept. We are all interwoven in humanity. Interconnected. I feel as we merge into this new realm of technology and political unrest it is vital to make those connections and to reflect. It is a desire for unity and a sense of community. My desire is to us remind us to be in tune with what it is to be human.
As I said I fell in love with the Morris Louis’, Alpha Tau, and the color-field movement. It profoundly directed my work. So why am I drawn to Louis’ work? As I mentioned, I am also a poet. I studied Walden and transcendentalism. I love the brevity and contemplation of modern poetry. The succinctness! This is what my art is about. It is at its simple core. I love the ability to break something down to its essence, whether that is a painting of a moment or a poem of a single experience. It is the essence. It is humanity. And I want to share that essence of unity with my audience. When I create art, my aim is to reconstruct my experiences from life as a woman, and from the landscape and environment, and share that connection with you.
Professionally: A few years back, Southeast Missouri State University selected me as the first female beneficiary for the 2016 Alumni Merit Award for the Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts. I mentioned this before. I was the recipient of the 2011 Missouri Arts Council Poster Award. My work was featured in all the 2012 MAC publications. Additionally, my artwork is held by private and corporate entities. Also, I served on the Art in Public Places Committee in Warrensburg, Missouri; organized Paint with Your Girls, a successful fundraiser for breast cancer research; and served on the advisory boards of Southeast Missouri State University-Malden and the Bootheel Youth Museum, where I was also a volunteer programmer.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
1. We have so many great arts organizations here in KC. I recommend getting involved and joining one or two. Guildit and Kansas City Artist Coalition are just a couple that comes to mind.
2. Learn all you can from others.
3. Additionally, don’t be afraid to ask another artist or creative for advice. That is the one thing I love about the Kansas City Arts community. The creative community here is always willing to share knowledge. We have such genuine kindness in our arts community. Truly, I am so grateful to my friends and mentors who have taken the time to share with me. Don’t forget, we are all together in this world. Why not make it a better place and share it with others? Kindness is such a gift to the world.
4. Promote fellow artists and share the love… whether that is buying art or simply engaging on social media. It is appreciated and helps us all.
Thanks for having me here.
Contact Info:
Email: teresadirks@gmail.com
Website: teresadirks.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teresadirksstudio/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/teresadirksstudio
Conscious Love: Artist Collaboration with Huascar Medina, Poet T.L. Sanders, & Teresa Dirks
Our conversation began in June 2019. Jeanne Martin, Shanna Steitz and myself began discussing our then titled show “Love Supreme.” The inspiration we discussed was artwork inspired by John Coltrane’s work and vision regarding his revelation and success over a painful addiction. Shanna had an entire sermon series and sabbatical planned over this monumental piece of music. This all felt right and in line with my current work of including text elevating love and asemic writing. I was electrified about this body of work and research to be done over the next year.
A month or so later, over coffee with the dear Maria Vasquez Boyd, she and I brainstormed. Maria suggested an artist collaboration. Such a brilliant idea Maria, thank you. She recommended several artists. There was work to be done and it was exciting to be in the middle of it.
The two incredible poets, Poet T.L. Sanders and Kansas Poet Laureate, Huascar Medina graciously agreed to write and perform poetry for the show here at the Frank Lloyd Wright, Community Christian Church. After months of discussion, research, writing, painting and collaboration, we were almost ready. Poet Sanders came to my studio at the Livestock Exchange Building. We listen to “A Love Supreme,” loud and deeply reverberating over a gorgeous March afternoon. I painted and created. He constructed, performed and practiced. This moment was transcendental, I imagined much like Coltrane when he wrote his historic riff and powered his way through drug addiction and alcohol. The experience was something outside of myself.
April 2020 was our opening date. Then Covid-19 hit. Our show and collaboration came crashing down along with my momentum and inspiration. It was devastating on so many levels. The reality hit: the frightening unknowns surrounding this pandemic, the suffering, the food insecurity, the loss of jobs and economic hardship, the burdened healthcare workers, the isolation, and then came the horrid deaths. Selling and promoting art felt insensitive while others suffered. Additionally, I made a decision to move out of my studio in the Livestock Exchange Building end of July 2020. I put the work away and I forgot it; 2020 was a sabbatical.
Late June 2021, two years following our first discussion, Jeanne reached out again to see if August and September would work for us. We all agreed. I dug out my art, my heart, my files and my notes and began working on this project again.
For the second time, I ordered postcards, we renamed the show and we discussed a change of tone for the show subject. Instead of “Love Supreme”Jeanne suggested to share how and what kept us together during the pandemic. The family helped me brainstorm and we came up with “Conscious Love” because during this time it became increasingly important to consider how we as individuals during this humanitarian crisis could help others. We had to be deliberate. Intimate touch and being together was out, but how could we share love in another way? It became apparent that love was supreme and we could consciously share that love with our world in other ways. The crisis continued and worsened. We witnessed more brutality and we saw more systemic racism. The world became creative with ways to love our brothers and sisters through protest, donating to others and educating our masses through social media. We stood up and figuratively held hands with those suffering. This was and is a time for our love to be conscious and continually grow. My hopes are many and I plead we all are conscious of how to share our love. Thanks for sharing and thanks for caring.
Join us for:
Conscious Love
Art Collaboration
Paintings by Teresa Dirks
Poetry by Huascar Medina and Poet T.L.Sanders
Inspired by John Coltrane's, "A Love Supreme" and our humanity during the pandemic.
Please join us in celebrating
Conscious Love, August 27, 2021,
5-8 p.m. at the historical
Frank Lloyd Wright church,
Community Christian Church
4601 Main Street
Kansas City, MO, 64112
Poetry performance at 6 and 7 p.m.
More info on Facebook and Instagram at Teresa Dirks' Studio. Or info at
teresadirks@gmail.com & teresadirks.com
My love,
Teresa Dirks
Hello Art Friends,
What a surreal time it has been. For the time being, I have moved my studio back home. Officially at the end of July, I moved out of the lovely historic Livestock Exchange Building. Bittersweet. So fortunate to have had those years developing friendships and my art. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of that wonderful world for 4 amazing years.
For the time being, I will be home thinking and working…
Sending my love,
Teresa
LEB Studio Happy Memory…
Teresa Dirks’ Petite Works Collection: Whether you chose one or a dozen, these petite, intimate works are delightful and full of charm. All are original, one-of a kind piece of art on canvas and birch. Perfect for gifts or your own collection and installation. Be your own curator and start collecting today. Starting at 75.
Petite Works Collection. Be your own curator and start collecting today. Starting at 75.
Shine Collection 80 each.
Hello!
Thought I would reintroduce myself in honor of Women’s History Month. Yes, I am Teresa Dirks and I am an artist, poet, and painter . . .
Formerly, I was environmental educator and art educator, originally from rural SE Missouri 2 hours north of Memphis TN. Small town gal.
Had some serious challenges early in life, tough but they gave me my strength. BTW I didn’t have anyone around who was an artist. So art as a profession was a foreign concept to me. Somedays it still is honestly. :)
Luckily, I did have music along the way. Piano, percussion and guitar. And again, luckily I grew up around seamstresses, quilters, gardeners, and farmers, I learned to love nature, nurture, growing and making. This made me creative. Later as an adult, I found art and painting. Again lucky.
One moment in particular as an adult, on a trip to the STL Museum, I saw my first Morris Louis. I fell in love with art. I can’t really put to words what I felt. The sensation was life altering. Monumental moment.
Brief Background:
Dave and I lived in a geodesic dome we built. We raised a beautiful family . . . for 30 plus years on a farm only 30 minutes from the Mississippi River. The delta and horizon helped to define my work along with other things. The horizon is something we all share. This joins us together. More about that later.
As an adult and mother, I went back to school and studied English and Art. I have a BA in Creative Writing emphasis in Poetry and a Minor in Art. Later I went back for my Masters to teach Art.
In 2010, we had the opportunity to move close to KC and my first granddaughter. We jumped on it. We were in Warrensburg and this sparked opportunities. The prestigious MO50 and the MAC award. Things started to get easier. Five years ago, we moved to KC and two years ago I moved into my first “out of the home” studio. My work and life has grown because of the vibrant and giving artist community here in KC. I am so grateful! KC changed my experience entirely. Thank you.
Now about my art and that process . . .
No matter who you are or where you live, you have a horizon, a sunset, a connection to humanity that each individual has experienced. This is a string or connection that ties us together. My work is an abstraction of that concept and connection. We are all interwoven in humanity. Interconnected. I feel as we merge into this new realm of technology and political unrest it is vital to make those connections. It is a desire for unity and sense of community.
As I said I fell in love with the Morris Louis’, Alpha Tau, and the colorfield movement. It profoundly directed my work. So why am I drawn to Louis’ work? As I mentioned, I am also a poet. I studied Walden and transcendentalism. I love the brevity and contemplation of modern poetry. The succinctness! This is what my art is about. It is at its simple core. I love the ability to break something down to its essence, whether that is a painting of a moment or a poem of a single experience. It is the essence! It is humanity. And I want to share that essence of unity with my audience.
Thanks for listening!
Xoxox,
Teresa
So . . . please allow me to qualify this award. If you have known me a long time (forever friends and forever family), or if we have only become friends recently since our two moves, I wish to say that it is my pleasure to have your support and friendship in my journey . . . and to say that “no man [or woman] is an island.”. . . . I am tremendously fortunate to have so many kind and loving people in my life. . .and I wanted to thank you for that . . .You have my gratitude. You have my heart. . .
Press Release . . .
Seven alumni and one faculty member will receive Merit Awards presented by the Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Association Nov. 4 at the Copper Dome Society/Merit Recognition Dinner during the University’s Homecoming celebration. The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Show Me Center.
Alumni Merit Awards have been presented annually since 1958 to Southeast alumni who have brought distinction to themselves and the University.
This year’s alumni recipients are: Teresa Mosley Dirks, ’98, of Kansas City, Missouri, award winning artist in the Kansas City area; Dr. Jerry D. Durham, ’68, of Waterloo, Iowa, chancellor of Allen College; Janet Perez Eckles, ’75, of Orlando, Florida, inspirational speaker and author; William T. (Bill) Gamewell, ’72, of Ballwin, Missouri, senior vice president with Commerce Bank in St. Louis, Missouri; Pamela Macke Johnson, ’77 and ’00, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, criminalist supervisor and forensic scientist with the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop E Crime Laboratory in Cape Girardeau; Pamela McClune, ’72, of Denver, Colorado, retired compliance manager with the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and retired attorney and U.S. Navy captain with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy Reserve; and Dr. Pernell Witherspoon of St. Louis, Missouri, and Huntington Beach, California, associate professor of criminal justice at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.
Receiving the Faculty Merit Award will be Dr. Julie Ray, professor and chair of the Department of Elementary, Early and Special Education at Southeast. The Faculty Merit Award is presented for excellence in teaching.
Teresa Mosley Dirks
Dirks, an artist, painter and former educator, graduated summa cum laude from Southeast in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in art. In 2005, she earned a master’s degree in education from William Woods University.
Born in Kennett, Missouri, and raised in Malden, Missouri, Dirks spent most of her life in southeast Missouri, absorbing the essence of rural, farm life and the relationship between life and nature, a theme she has captured in her photographs, poetry and paintings.
She taught environmental education and then art education in public schools for several years, but her passion for painting inspired her lifelong career.
When creating her artwork, Dirks’ aim is to reconstruct those experiences from her life and environment, and to share that connection with others. She strives to recreate a conceptual experience whether it is the complexity of urban decay, the intensity of the sky, or the linear connection to cultivation, nature and the horizon. The proportions and structure she portrays within her works come from her subconscious need to create with some sense of balance, and also with a tension that is derived from the power of her experiences, and the sense of her being a part of something bigger.
Over the years, her work has developed texturally and organically by using the visual elements and principles of color, line, texture, movement and pattern. The resulting variants and contrasts reflect the complexities and tension of her experiences. Her art has come to symbolize her inner strength and connection with her environment and the years spent watching the brilliance of the world around her.
Dirks is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2011 Missouri Arts Council Poster Award. Her work was featured in the 2012 MAC publications. Her work is held by private and corporate entities.
She has served on the Art in Public Places Committee in Warrensburg, Missouri; organized Paint with Your Girls, a fundraiser for breast cancer research; and served on the advisory boards of Southeast Missouri State University-Malden and the Bootheel Youth Museum where she was also a volunteer programmer. Dirks lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with her husband, Dave. They have two sons and four grandchildren.
http://news.semo.edu/southeast-alumni-association-honoring-alumni-faculty-with-2016-merit-awards/
Thanks so,
Teresa
Teresa Dirks,Modern Abstract Painter
teresadirks.com/
teresadirks.blogspot.com/
teresadirks@gmail.com
Find me on Houzz, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Art Stac.
Delighted to be represented online by UGallery. View my portfolio and acquire my art work here: https://www.ugallery.com/Artist/Teresa-Dirks
Open Studios at the Livestock Exchange Building, 1600 Genessee, Kansas City MO, Friday, are August 4, 4:30-9 & Saturday, August 5, 10-2 pm. Artists and businesses in the Livestock Exchange Building are excited for you and your friends to join them in the second event of 2017.
Suite 534, Teresa Dirks
We will have another in November. Please check back with us. for details.
Join us and the five artists and their diverse depictions of love. This show is also homage to the Summer of Love that started in 1967.
Teresa Dirks, painter
Chris Frye, Painter
Angie Jennings, photographer
Dee Thurn, painter
Jodi Vander Woude, photographer
2016 Main, Kansas City, MO 64108
Runs July 7-August 30, 2017 by appointment. Call or text at Angie, 816-807-4793.
2016 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO
May 5, 2017, 6-9 p.m.
Join me in the Crossroads Arts District for May First Friday. I will be introducing new work including paintings on canvas, paper, panel and my poem that explores and celebrates the diversity of our world. It would be my joy to have you there.
My best,
Teresa
teresadirks.com
teresadirks@gmail.com
573-820-3277
*Studio Above is above the Leedy Voulkos Center.
Don't miss this new work in the Crossroads Arts District on Cinco de Mayo. See you soon.
Copyright © 2017 teresadirks.com, All rights reserved.
Hope you are having a fabulous summer. Thank you for your support. If you wish to unsubscribe, please let me know. Or if you love hearing from me, thanks!
Stay tuned for First Friday Events in Kansas City, MO scheduled for April 7&8 (Open Studio at the Historical Livestock Exchange Building) and May 5 in the fabulous Crossroads Arts District. Details to come.
Cheers!
Teresa
Please join us for the Artist Reception, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Dobbins Center Gallery on the Southeast River Campus. See Teresa Dirks' art work on paper and canvas, created and inspired by the river . . . its power and its beauty.
This free reception marks the opening of a month-long exhibit of works by Southeast alumna Teresa Dirks who will be recognized at the Show Me Center later in the evening during the annual Copper Dome Society Dinner as one of the University’s 2016 Alumni Merit Award recipients. Dirks, of Kansas City, MO, graduated from Southeast in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and a minor in art. The exhibit will remain on display through Dec. 9.
Crazy excited to announce that I have moved into a studio suite in the historic West Bottoms. This was a difficult decision to make for several reason including rent, convenience, but on the plus side, networking and having a public space to create and show art. The time felt right, so here we are . . .
I look forward to sharing more info soon. Additionally, in the future I will be scheduling studio visits. In the meantime, please message me if you are interested.
Cheers,
Teresa
Guess who is moving into her own art studio space at the incredible Kansas City Live Stock Exchange Building in the West Bottoms this September? Boy oh boy oh boy . . . am I excited!
More info soon!
Stay tuned,
Teresa
Took a short business trip to Omaha with Dave and to check out a few galleries and saw some incredible art. Omaha's Old Market is so quaint. Love to walk and absorb the colors and patinas there on the streets. Walked at least 4 miles everyday . . .
If you have not been to Omaha, go! Here are a few inspirational pics from my visit.
Be well. Do well. See well.
My best,
Teresa
Street texture and inspiration
Inside Union Station
Union Station in Omaha
Hotel paintings . . .
Early morning view from my room . . .
Live Music with Austin band Ben Balmer
Please stop in Cafe Trio, enjoy a meal or happy hour . . . and see my newest work. We may work on a reception so stay tuned. In the meantime, here is a link to Cafe Trio: http://www.cafetriokc.com/event-calendar/
New work, Two Souls, 54x36", Acrylic, Oil Pastel, Graphite.
You won Best of Houzz 2016!
Exciting news from Houzz!
Hi Teresa Dirks' Art and congratulations,
We're writing to let you know that you've been voted by the Houzz community as a winner of our Best of Houzz 2016 award! You can read the full press release here.
Your work won in the Design category, as your portfolio includes some of the most popular images on Houzz in 2015. We have already placed a "Best of Houzz 2016" winner badge on your Houzz profile page; visit your profile page (http://www.houzz.com/pro/teresadirksart) to see it.
