Teresa Lawler
Biography
Teresa Lawler studied Fine Art at Northumbria University and the Slade Postgraduate School, University College London. She joined the BBC design department before working as a designer and art director in television and theatre, as well as an academic in the UK, Singapore and Australia. She was appointed Course Director for the MA in Production Design at Kingston University.
Throughout this period, she continued to produce paintings, drawings and installations, which were widely exhibited. Painting is now her main focus, working in water-based media and oil. Her selected exhibitions include the Pastel Society, New Light Art Prize, Sunday Times Watercolour Exhibition, Derwent Art Prize, Royal Watercolour Society and Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Her television and theatre work includes Jonathan Creek, The Cazalets and Deceit.
Artist Statement
Teresa Lawler RI’s past experience as a designer in television and theatre strongly influences her painting. Screen imagery is frequently referenced through scenic and architectural structures, deeply contrasting lighting and intense colour, creating a dramatic effect. Her recent work develops the idea of stylised, abstracted houses placed within fictitious landscapes, shaped from references, sketches and memories gathered over many years.
Lawler is interested in the ability of paint, particularly watercolour, gouache and oil, to be layered so that colour gradually deepens while some original marks remain visible, offering an insight into the making of the image.
Her process is slow and usually begins with the formation of a landscape through drawing. Dwellings are then introduced once scale and structure have been established. Through this process, she creates imagined places that bring together elements from different sources and memories.