Terry Faith: Pursuing Her Dream by Michael Potashnik July 26, 2023 |
After putting her dream on hold for some 30 years, Terry Faith is well on her way to becoming a professional fine artist. but it hasn’t been easy.!! While working full time, commuting four hours to and from work , and by taking care of her family, Terry kept her dream alive at night taking drawing and painting courses that enabled her to develop her skills as an artist. Following her retirement from the US government, Terry established a highly successful face painting business and today is in the second year of her art studies at the Aristide Atelier in the state of Washington |
Growing up in Kensington, Maryland in the 60s, Terry showed a strong interest in art. In high school she got accepted to Montgomery County’s Art Center, and,after graduating high school, she attended Montgomery College and the University of Maryland as an art major. However, she was unable to finish her art studies even with a Congressional scholarship, and dropped out with only 15 credits needed to graduate. She initially got a full time job as a hair dresser and went to secretarial school at night to improve her job prospects. She later landed an entry level job in the federal government which enabled her to support herself and two children. She worked in the government for the next 30 years, and impressively rose to become a G13 Program Analyst. |
When her children were older, Terry continued her art training taking classes at the Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick, Maryland. One of her instructors was Lesa Cook, an Atelier trained artist. After her retirement and during Covid, Terry studied oil painting with Carol Buswell and attended figure drawing classes with live models which Carol organized. (Terry’s sketchbook on the left) Carol Buswell also introduced her to Juliette Studies Online Atelier. Juliette is based out of Seattle, Washington and teaches classical art methods on line in an immersive program with two Masters instructors. In September 2023 Terry will be entering her second year of an intensive three year program which she is taking via video. It consists of seven hours of instruction weekly, one and one half hours of open studio and 12 hours of homework. Her work is regularly critiqued by Juliette Aristides and two Master instructors. |
While studying to become a professional artist, Terry has been running a successful face painting business called Tigers and Unicorns she established in 2018 . Although she initially volunteered her face painting services to the Brunswick Recreation Council for holiday parties, she was encouraged by a friend to charge for her services, which she did. She also began to market her services on her website https://tigersandunicornsohmy.com she established in 2018 and on Instagram and Facebook, and also made cold calls to perspective customers. Terry even went to face painting conventions in Washington, DC and Florida, where she took workshops on face painting, marketing and balloon twisting. She also signed up for a one year on-line program offered by the International Face Painting School and graduated in 2020. The business keeps Terry busy on most weekends with birthday parties, corporate parties, bachlelorette parties, and community events. Face painting the way Terry does it can be quite intricate, taking at least an hour. See a sample of her work on the right, taken from her website. |
To broaden her plein air experience Terry joined the Loudoun Sketch Club last year and has participated in this year’s paint outs. She produced this lovely painting (left) last month at English Springs. Hopefully, it will make its way to our upcoming Virginia Land Trust Show in September. Terry clearly has the talent and determination to become a fine artist and we wish her the best in her career! |