ARTIST STATEMENT

I relate to the canvas by composing landscapes of irrealities. Rooted in emotional ties, and transposed by interchanging the concepts of design, I attempt to create a meaningful composition for the eye. The purpose being that the project becomes a story, and the story is told in an abstract, yet emotional manner. Each story of the irreal is given a sense of realism by my use of abstraction.

I use abstraction to create an image. The character of each project, urban but organic, becomes a playground for representation, suggesting its theme. The placement of each element changes the meaning of the project, and thus, of the series.

Upon viewing the work, we discover the correlation of line, shape, form, and perspective. I confront the viewer enough to affect them, confuse them enough for them to ask questions, and then again, challenges them to respond to what they see in front of them.

I superimpose images on the eye that can distill, complete, reinvent, and/or canonize the image. Thus, we see the end result as a kind of narrative that repeats itself in different ways throughout the project/series.

To explain, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but having new eyes.” –Marcel Proust

Through California Hard-Edged Abstractions, Digital prints, and Portraiture, my genres intersect and evolve, culminating in a unique style that is distinctly my own. My mediums of choice are acrylic, oil, and mixed media, depending on the body of work.

Meaning is found through imagery and/or other conceptual devices, adding to the work. The environment of the image is telling. It helps define what is in front of you.

With each project, my ideas grow. Conceptually, there are many intertwining ways in which these images can be connected. My work is an exploration of such a journey, a journey that is ongoing and reinvents itself through constant change. From my experience, character, obvious or underlying, embodies the vision and circumstance of each situation, a personal expression. Each piece/series sends a message, visually, through compositional elements that define me as the artist.

My work has an amorphous form and function; encompasses an evocative use of light, shape, and form; and, each composition is different depending on the subject matter and its message. I visually identify with a space and its components through the relationship of each piece/series to its entirety. My work embraces the mundane, the intellectual experience, and the passions of my life.

BIOGRAPHY

Teresa Lakier, originally from South Africa, now resides and works in Los Angeles. She is renowned for her California Hard-Edged Abstractions and Digital Art. Lakier earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art from California State University, Northridge, and pursued further studies at the California Institute of Art, Westlake.

Throughout her artistic journey, Lakier has showcased her work at various venues, including Bergamot Station's Secant/Sulkin and Beyond the Lines Gallery, BG Gallery, Gallery 825, Hale Arts, LACDA, LA Municipal Art Gallery, Lark Gallery, Mujeres al Pincel y la Lente, MOLAAA, TAG Gallery, and Wallspace LA. She has garnered recognition through awards and publications such as Circle Quarterly Art Review Magazine, MD Art Gallery, Phantom Galleries, West Hollywood Pop-up Gallery, and VIVA Gallery. Lakier has been affiliated with California Art League, Hale Arts, LAAA.org, and Wallspace LA, and her online presence includes representation on platforms like Artist.com, Fineartamerica.com, and Saatchi.com.

Currently, Lakier is immersed in three distinct artistic endeavors: California Hard-Edged Abstractions, Digital Prints, and Portraiture. Her work is characterized by a reinvention of self through imagery, exploring the interplay of line, shape, form, and perspective. Lakier aims to provoke viewers, leading them to question and ultimately respond to the art before them. Past collaborations include partnerships with artists Karen Kinney, Liz Duer, and Odenis Vitorelli.

EDUCATION

California State University at Northridge, Northridge, CA, Bachelor of Arts in Art, Field of Study: Printmaking.

California Art Institute, Westlake, CA, Courses in Art.

REVIEWS

1. 2024. AUCTION PICK OF THE DAY by Cynthia Penna for the 99th Anniversary Benefit Auction, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA. “Teresa Lakier belongs to California Hard- Edge movement that includes important names of artists of the past such as Karl Benjamin, Lorser Feitelson and Ellsworth Kelly. The division of space into geometric fields is not mere rigidity devoid of emotion, for Lakier finds emotion in a perfect balance of a nontrivial and unusual color palette, skillfully managed.”

1. 2015. TERESA LAKIER-- "It’s easy to imagine painter Teresa Lakier saying something like, “the journey is the destination,” with absolute conviction. In both the geometric abstractions of recent years and the more representational, symbol-rich, and semiotic mixed media work of recent months, Lakier activates the emotional frisson of awkward, in-between places. Her complex yet nuanced works shift between line and color, creation and erasure, surface and meaning, and perhaps most importantly, between comfort and uncertainty."----Shana Nys Dambrot, Critic Of "Mix Em Up"

1. 2014. TERESA LAKIER--"From Agnes Martin to Chuck Close, It reminds me of a lot of things, but it looks like nothing I've ever seen before."---Peter Frank, Juror of "Yes" Lark Galleries.

1. 2013. TERESA LAKIER -- "Vibrant color underscores the high energy of eccentric minimalist forms" ---Peter Frank, Juror of "Finding your Roots" Lark Galleries.

AWARDS

2025. Honorable Mention. Tokyo International Foto Awards.

1. 2023. Certificate of Participation. Abstract Zone 2023. Exhibizone.

1. 2022. Finalist Certificate. Circle Quarterly Art Review Magazine.

1. 2022. Certificate of Participation. Circle Quarterly Art Review Magazine.

1. 2021. Certificate of Excellence. Circle Quarterly Art Review Magazine.

1. 2014. Honorable Mention. "Yes," M.D. Art Gallery, Lark Galleries, Los Angeles, CA. "Squared 3," and "Squared Diamond," Juror Peter Frank.

1. 2014. Honorable Mention. "Finding your roots," West Hollywood Pop-Up Gallery, Lark Galleries, West Hollywood, CA, "Untitled 2. Juror Peter Frank.

1. 2010. Honorable Mention. “Colors of Life,” E-Exhibition, LARK Gallery Online, & Phantom Galleries, Long Beach, CA.

1. 2008. 3rd Place. “SCORE VII,” VIVA Gallery, Sherman Oaks, CA. “Electricity Gone By.”