The
work of Terese Nielsen has captured the imagination of the gaming and
comic book industry. Whether you're immersed in the beauty of "Stream of
Life" or "Moonsprite," you're sure to agree that you haven't been left
untouched. She has made her place in the world of fantasy art, lurking
in the upper echelons as one of the foremost female artists in the
field, and has been honored in the last five volumes of Spectrum. The
horizon brims with delighted expectancy for this talented artist of rare
potential.
Of humble beginnings, (not unlike a few others of historical note) she
was born along with her twin brother to farmers in the small town of
Aurora, Nebraska in 1966. She grew up running through miles of
cornfields and learning to work hard, entrusted with important tasks
from a young age. As there were no houses in close proximity, she and
her two brothers constituted the "neighborhood" and played together for
hours. More often than not, the cold winters would find them huddled
around a stack of paper that was never depleted, thanks to their
encouraging mother. While they all enjoyed the time-honored process of
drawing and coloring, Terese always felt that she couldn't rival the
unquestionable creative genius of her older brother, Ron Spencer. She
never quite had the passion for it that he did, and didn't consider
pursuing art as a career until her third year in high school.
With early interest in physiology and psychology, she actually always
planned to go into the medical field. It's not often that you hear of a
junior high student with a subscription to Psychology Today. (This would
almost be scary if you didn't know that her perennial intrigue in the
workings of the mind, in figuring out "what makes people tick," has
served her well and continues to be a thriving theme in the tapestry of
her life). Becoming a doctor was out when she couldn't grasp
mathematics, but she didn't give up on some sort of tech position until·
chemistry. So she decided to get a real job and start drawing again,
and leave the traditional pursuits to those less fortunate.
Terese was heavily influenced by comic book and fantasy artists Boris
Vallejo, Rowena Morrill, Frazetta, Michael Whelan, Barry Windsor Smith
and Jim Fitzpatrik (and, of course, Big Brother). During Ron's two-year
absence, she was finally convinced that she could make the grade without
his divine tutelage. With remarkable pencil sketches and ink
pointillism, she earned profuse recognition and basked in the warmth of
being a very big fish.
The pond got bigger as she followed her brother to Rexburg, Idaho to
study art at the small, but reputable Rick's College in the fall of
1984. A little intimidated and afraid of being swallowed up by the
competition, she sacrificed her sleep night after night for her desire
to be as good, or better, than everyone else. This relentless pursuit of
excellence quickly earned her a spot at the top of the class, and she
was the only one to wring an A+ out of the most rigorous and challenging
course at the school. Contemporary illustrators Leon Parson, Robert
Heindel, Mark English, Bernie Fuchs and Bart Forbes embodied much of
what she desired to become during this period.
Despite the acclaim and artistic achievement she enjoyed while there,
the pinnacle of her experience had nothing to do with art at all. It
came one day as she succumbed to the cajoling of a very macho teacher,
and finally consented to the arm wrestle he had been begging for. He
knew she lifted weights, but being significantly bulkier, he greatly
anticipated the opportunity to put her in her place. He was never quite
the same after that day. The "baby with biceps" had struck, and all of a
sudden taking a sabbatical looked very appealing to that poor man.
While at Rick's, Terese managed to marry the competition, and after
graduation they made their way to California with hearts full of
promise. They rolled into L.A. with $200 in their pockets and half a
tank of gas in the old '61 Rambler that had belonged to her grandmother.
Being young, they had no idea that the odds were stacked against them.
All they had were their dreams to attend the prestigious (and expensive)
Art Center College of Design in Pasadena·but that was all they needed.
Terese began her intensities at Art Center in September of 1988. She
entered under the fading shadow of the dark and moody Matt Mahurn to
take her place among a very special group of people. Every so often when
planets line up just so, a convergence of souls takes place, as if
everyone involved had suddenly awakened to rush to an appointment all
but forgotten. Instructor after instructor confirmed that they hadn't
seen such a talented class in ten years. In fierce, but friendly,
competition this handful of students pushed each other and became the
grading standard for the rest.
It was here that her ability to get into the minds of her teachers and
know what they wanted came in especially handy. (All those issues of
Psychology Today, no doubt). Her peers would scratch their heads and
wonder why she was one of the few to survive a crit.
When she arrived, Terese was leaps and bounds ahead in figure drawing
and painting. She had a preference and gift for portrait work, and would
have pursued fashion illustration if the industry hadn't cycled into a
preference for photography early in her Art Center career. Inspired by
contemporary illustrators Malcolm Liepke, Thomas Blackshear, Charles
Bragg, Robert Rodriguez, Dave McKean and Bill Sienkiewicz, she shifted
gears and began to develop a portfolio using the challenging medium of
gouache to render pieces aimed at the book cover, comic book and movie
poster markets. Also beginning to be of major influence were the early
1900 artists John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla and Gustav Klimt.
It was during her time at Art Center that she couldn't help but notice
the male-dominated nature of the business. All but two teachers in seven
years had been male. One of her peers lamented, "You're so talented,
one of the best in the whole school, but you'll never really make it
because you're a woman." This poignant reproach might have deflated
some, but Terese looked upon it as an opportunity to rise above biased
assumptions. Of no small import was the support and opinion of her
husband, Cliff. He never bought into the cultural myth and her
confidence grew. Everywhere she showed her book she got a job. To date,
she maintains that her gender has been fairly irrelevant in the flow of
work; that it's been neither boon nor bane, which, of course, is how it
should be.
Terese graduated from the Art Center College of Design with "great
distinction," the highest honor, in April of 1991. Having ridden the
tides of good fortune and hard work, and almost full scholarship, she
was prepared to launch into the world of professional illustration.
Not surprisingly, Terese had a steady and almost effortless flow of work
following graduation. One of her early clients was Landmark
Entertainment. With dramatic color and lighting she breathed life into
their theme park designs. She painted computer game CD covers for
Phillips through Maddocks Design Firm in L.A. Other clients included
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, NPQ, Writer's Guild and Administrative
Radiology. It wasn't long before she landed several superhero trading
cards with DC and Marvel, which was the beginning of her work in the
comic book and gaming industry. Perhaps the highest profile comic book
she produced was Marvel's "Ruins," which was actually a project she and
her husband co-illustrated. Incidentally, it was the last project they
ever worked on together, as their paths diverged. They were formally
divorced by the time "Ruins" hit the newsstands.
Wizards of the Coast caught wind of her work in 1996 and she emerged
within Magic the Gathering through Alliances that same year. She has
been in most of the card sets since then, and continues to be a powerful
artistic influence within the role-playing world. She has been flown
across the Atlantic and Pacific to be present for signings, representing
the international appeal of her work. One of the art directors for WOTC
commented, "You're one of the few artists I don't pigeon-hole. You do
everything well."
Perhaps Terese's intuitive powers are just as responsible for her
success as the delicate strokes of her brush. She has a gift for getting
into the minds and hearts of writers and art directors. It is often
uncanny how she is able to capture the visions of creators, and then
push it one step further to deliver something even better than they had
imagined. When Terese renders a character, she wants to do it on more
than an extrinsic level. She wants to get inside the character's head
and represent him or her in a way that produces several reads. You'll
find yourself coming back again and again, drawn almost involuntarily to
hold the intense gaze often encountered in her paintings. There is a
tantalizing depth and complexity in her work. This is well depicted in
her interpretation of Gerrard for a 1998 Duelist cover. She is able to
imbue these pawns of imagination with such force and presence that they
actually come to life, taking their rightful place among the other
sentient beings of the Universe.
Within the last five years, Terese has felt many influences as her
preferences have evolved. She continues to be compelled by the work of
Gustav Klimpt, Alphonse Mucha (and others in the Art Nouveau period),
the Pre-Raphaelite artists, Adolphe Bouguereau, J.W. Waterhouse and Sir
Frederick Leighton. Also significant are artists from the golden years
of American illustration: N.C. Wyeth, J.C. Leyendecker, Dean Cornwell,
Howard Pyle, Andrew Loomis and Maxfield Parish. The contemporary comic
book artist Bernie Wrightson continues to inspire her with his early
work exhibiting dramatic compositions and intriguing patterns of light
and dark.
Terese is captivated by the feminine psych and enjoys portraying women
in all genres. The images are often intense and provocative (as in
"Revelation," "Elvish Ranger," and "Keeper of the Flame"), but can also
be soothing, ethereal, mystical (as in "The Enchanted," and
"Foresight"). With this in mind, it seems completely natural that she
would revel in illustrating the immortal Xena, Warrior Princess. She
painted the cover for the premier issue of the Xena comics produced by
Topps in 1998. She subsequently illustrated seven other covers, which
can be viewed on-line under "Paintings" above.
Long a connoisseur of human form, painting male musculature is also a
favorite. There's no missing the irrefutable male energy oozing out of
pieces like "Force of Will," or her 1997 ad for "Battletech." The
undying popularity of pieces like "Stalking Tiger" and "Natural Order"
attest to her ability to capture animals as well. The following are
three of Terese's most cherished works:
"Vampirella" was published in 1995 for Topps as part of their Vampirella
Gallery Set. Created with thin layers of oil and delicate applications
of gold leaf, the rich textured colors satiate the palate. Within the
tall, thin, Klimpt-inspired format, the deep reds against the stark
white flesh are tantalizing. Not of little interest to Terese, as you
might imagine, is the sanguine paradox she represents. Where Vampirella
comes from, drinking blood is as natural for her as drinking water is
for us, but placed out of context in our world, the beauty of this
simple, almost sacred act is defiled with evil overtones. She becomes a
formidable shadow, a temptress, a murderess in her desire for the breath
of life, yet notice how serene she is in this rendering. She accepts,
without judgement, who she is. What she must do is done in reverence,
almost as sacrament. In a world where dichotomy is worshipped, anything
that illustrates ambiguity or challenges absolute interpretations of
"good" and "evil" are fascinating to this artist.
"Stream of Life," commissioned by Wizards of the Coast, came out in the
Fifth Edition card set for Magic the Gathering in 1996. This mystical,
sensual portrayal of dipping into the stream symbolizes the primordial
urge we have to seek sustenance from the Source or Stream of all life.
The feline beast represents great power, the elf, great wisdom; one is
led to muse on the possible relationship that exists between these
creatures of the wood, which by nature can never be completely defined.
This arresting image was composed with transparent washes of acrylic
intermingled with light glazes of airbrush.
"Moonsprite," another WOTC piece, emerged through the Portal set not
long after "Stream." Produced in a mixed medium of acrylic, gouache,
colored pencil and the esteemed gold leaf, this image mirrors the birth,
the release of the creative. The pose, mood and underlighting conspire
to issue an enticing call to freedom. The exquisite sense of
emancipation imparted by the fairy is almost tangible. We are witness to
a timeless transcendence into higher levels of awareness and
expression, and are invited to participate in the same. This "decorative
piece of jewelry" remains a favorite with fans as well.
Although she is certainly capable of making your skin crawl, Terese is
currently feeling "maxed out" on the dark images she has often been
commissioned to paint. She has felt the stirrings within and is heeding
the call to depict images traced with light. Wanting to reach beyond the
macabre, she yearns to spend more time reflecting her current
interests.
Archangel Michael and Miriam of Magdala are two recent examples of personal work that reflect such interests.
The urge to find and use her own voice has become irrepressible, and she
desires to find purpose in her work. In her perfect world, she would be
able to encourage balance and harmony through art. She would inspire
the viewer to explore the great untapped potential within, and give form
to dreams yet in embryo. She would be able to entice people into the
workings of their own soul, and with a dash of Piscean intuition, guide
them into a grander expression of themselves. Whether this is through
the painted medium, or through stained glass windows and tabletop
fountains, the goal is the same. (Although, she might just settle for
Art Director of Psychology Today).
Regardless of her professional expression, however, she accomplishes
this design with her intimate associations. Terese currently resides in
Temple City, California with her partner and their four children.
Steeped in motherhood, it is not uncommon for Terese to spend hours
bringing to life some visionary masterpiece of her hopelessly creative
nine-year-old son. More often than not, she can be found quietly
listening to the ramblings of little girls who share their lives with
her as she paints. With much accomplished and far more to come from the
studio of Terese Nielsen, her greatest achievements are undoubtedly
mirrored in the eyes of her loved ones.
-------------------------------------
Epilogue December 2007:
It’s been a long time since this bio was originally written, and several
items need updating, the most important being the age of her
“hopelessly creative” son. I’ve heard the obvious disgust in his
deep-voice-come-lately, “Mom, that’s pathetic! The least you can do is
change my age! I’m 15 now!”
So yes, her hopelessly creative 15-year-old son has developed quite
extraordinarily albeit in a somewhat deviant way… I mean, well, he’s
like this up and coming icon on Deviant Art. He’s created his own world,
his own art style, published his own comic called “Zitboy,” and is
gathering fans and artistic associates faster than mold can grow on his
bunched up socks in the corner. Feel free to visit him at
http://sugarpolyp.deviantart.com. If you comment him, please be sure to
mention that you heard about him here, and that he’s really accomplished
a lot for a 9-year-old. ; )
As for Ms. Nielsen, her career has taken some fairly significant turns
in the last few years. Of course, she still does Magic cards regularly,
and has added a lot of Star Wars illustrations of late, but there’s no
doubt that the most noteworthy shift has come from the yearnings you
read about only a few paragraphs ago. About “Angel Quest”), her most
cherished project, in her own words…
“After 15 years of illustrating, I'd come to a place in my career where
money or high profile pieces just didn't motivate me any more. I was
starting to feel dead, artistically, so I decided to take a sort of
plunge, if you will, that felt like spiritual liberation and financial
suicide by turns. I made a conscious decision to let go of some of the
illustration jobs that consistently supported violence as
entertainment.”
“During this time I realized that my deepest desire was to contribute my
talents to projects that uplift humanity… projects that leave people
inspired. I really had no idea what I should do, but I made space for
whatever “it” was by turning down jobs that had become my bread and
butter over the years.”
”In the Fall of 2005, I received a call from Alex Tinsman who shared an
incredible journey with me… a journey that she would never have
consciously chosen. I listened with tears in my eyes as she described
the loss of their sweet little boy, and how that unthinkable pain gave
birth to the idea for Angel Quest.”
“She and her husband, Brian, went on to ask if I would be willing to
co-create their idea with them and develop the look and feel for the
game. It was to be my job to give life in a visual way. How would it
look? How would you feel holding the cards in your hand as you
contemplated your next act of kindness?”
“As you can imagine, this was the job I’d been waiting for… the job of
my dreams. Never before or since has an assignment touched my soul like
Angel Quest. It was much more of a calling than a job, and it stretched
all of my talents and abilities to their fullest extent.”
“I honestly didn’t know if I was capable of designing and art directing
such a big project. I’d never done anything like it before. I designed
every aspect of the cards and the packaging, contributed 4 painted
illustrations (Sacred Angel of Comfort, Angel of the Future, High Angel
of Nature and Angel of Thankfulness) and coordinated the talents of 28
other artists. Needless to say, I felt supported in discharging my
responsibilities, almost as if all of the loving Unseen Powers were
behind this project and had no intention of letting it fail.”
“Ever since being involved with Angel Quest, I try and do one act of
kindness each day. It has added such a soft, loving focus to my life… a
fringe benefit I don’t think I fully anticipated. It's fun and really
easy to brighten someone else's day.”
“Another way I enjoy the cards is to just sit and gently peruse the
beautiful angel images. Just looking at them seems to open up a path of
love and warmth. At other times I'll randomly select a card just to
meditate upon the inspirational quote at the bottom.”
“Angel Quest is the first project in which my talents, heart and soul
completely converged and merged in a profoundly fulfilling way. I am
grateful to be a part of such an amazing movement that keeps the
goodness rippling on and on.”