{"id":17153,"date":"2018-01-18T12:30:54","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T12:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/about.35.197.208.187.nip.io\/?p=17153"},"modified":"2025-07-17T09:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T09:22:11","slug":"meet-teresa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zealous.co\/about\/spotlights\/meet-teresa\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Teresa Zerafa Byrne"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo by\u00a0John-Paul Bland<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hi Teresa! You pursued a different path before completing a fine art degree in 2015. Did you always know you\u2019d make the career switch to art? How did you find the process?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always wanted to study fine art, however it was something on the distant horizon. I finally realised after quite a while, that if I didn\u2019t make the leap at that point then I would probably never would. To be honest I initially planned to only complete a foundation course, however I was encouraged by my wonderful tutor David J Batchelor to continue onto a BA course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foundation course was a great entry point for me. I had spent so much time out of education, and with David\u2019s support and encouragement I realised that I wanted to commit absolutely to becoming an artist. Completing the BA Hons Fine Art course at Chelsea was a dream come true. The course enabled me to explore all types of fine art, without having to label myself as a painter or a sculptor and that is still the case. I create works in different media depending on what feels appropriate to the idea or project. I don\u2019t like to describe myself as a painter or a sculptor. I\u2019m an artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Melita Red<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Your artwork leaves a lot of room for interpretation, covering themes of identity, memory and perception. What story are you telling?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My current work continues the theme of memory reconstruction and I have been focusing on creating paintings, often using my Maltese heritage as inspiration. The paintings are drawn from memories and abstracted such that the elements collate to form an emotional response using colour, rather than a literal interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m fascinated by how memories can be prompted by those of others, so whilst my works are mainly inspired by my own of Malta, I want people to feel a connection with my work, and to discover something about themselves. Through exploring my memories I\u2019m hoping to prompt a reaction of familiarity with the viewer that makes the work personal to them too; I suppose a shared affinity, which then creates that connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another of my fascinations is how individuals\u2019 perceptions of the same information can lead to wildly varying reactions. My works often prompt the viewer to \u2018see\u2019 images or shapes within them. It\u2019s a phenomenon called pareidolia and it\u2019s when we try to\u00a0 make sense of random shapes and see relatable forms amongst the abstract shapes; like when we see an elephant in the clouds or a face looking at us amongst the shadows in a curtain. It\u2019s amazing how different audiences perceive different images in my paintings and once something has been pointed out within the work it suddenly becomes obvious!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Melita Tempest<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve heard you talk about \u2018controlled freedom\u2019 in your creative process. Can you tell us more about that? Is it true you don\u2019t always see the finished piece until the end?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Controlled freedom\u2019 is my description of how I often apply materials within my paintings. I use lots of different ways of application and I sometimes like to allow the materials to find their own path whilst at the same time restricting and manipulating them. It sounds like a contradiction in terms but it\u2019s the best way I can describe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mainly use the \u2018controlled freedom\u2019 method when I\u2019m painting on acrylic glass and the painting is created in reverse. I liken each layer within my paintings as a separate detail of a memory. These layers overlap and interact with each other affecting and changing those that come before and after. Just as a memory is a collection of details \u2018seen\u2019 together, my paintings are multiple layers seen together; responses to an event which are collected together in a single view. I meticulously plan the order and placement of the materials however when they are created in reverse I don\u2019t see the piece until the very end. It\u2019s only at that point that I get to see whether the finished piece reflects what I was thinking of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2017 was an exciting year for you! What\u2019s the most important thing you learned?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s certainly been a busy year. I\u2019ve had my work in quite a few events and I was delighted to be included in the Young Contemporary Purchase Prize 2017 run by the Ingram Collection. Thankfully the young in the title refers to stage in artistic career! Not only was my work in the show at the Cello Factory, the organisers held sessions for the selected artists which were exceptionally helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important thing I\u2019ve learnt is definitely the value of patience. After graduating I was so eager to start my career I was impatient to succeed. It\u2019s exhausting! This last year I\u2019ve found it\u2019s more important to consider my choices rather than jumping into everything with both feet, and to allow myself the time to select those things that I really want to do and concentrate on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reconstruction<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve done a fantastic job of building an online presence. How important is it for emerging artists to embrace the digital world?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think artists can afford to not embrace it. By its very nature the digital world is a visual medium and as such is perfect for artists. We are able to have our work seen, albeit a digital version, around the world  and reach a massive audience. Prior to social media, promoting one\u2019s work was much harder and expensive, however now we can reach a huge number of people and mostly for free! Whilst the bricks and mortar galleries and shows will always be important, the ability for artists to promote themselves on the internet means that they can make themselves discoverable.  It\u2019s because of the internet that my work has been purchased by collectors in America and Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ability to search other artists has been very helpful. I discovered whilst looking online that there is another artist called Teresa Byrne in Australia. I was once taking part in an art focus group and the intern put up the wrong website for my introduction. Whilst she has a very different style to me it was confusing, hence I changed my working name to Teresa Zerafa Byrne. A new website (www.teresazerafabyrne.com<\/a>) which reflects my working name, has finally been launched  so the complete transition over to that site will require a bit of planning. I\u2019ve had to learn a few new skills to embrace the digital world but I\u2019ve had fun doing so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Red Reconstruction<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What are you looking forward to in 2018? Do you have an \u201cartistic\u201d new year\u2019s resolution?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve a few events lined up already for 2018, so I\u2019m going to be busy with them. I\u2019ve been producing more works on canvas recently and I want to continue with my latest series of works.  I\u2019m thinking about studying for an MA, and I\u2019ve found one course in particular that I\u2019m really eager to look at as it seems perfect for me, however it depends on a few other things so it\u2019s not definite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for \u201cartistic \u201c resolutions for the new year I suppose it\u2019s to continue pushing myself, and to make sure that the work I produce excites me. If I don\u2019t feel excited about my work why should anyone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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