Remote work inspires rediscovered artistic talent

Fluid artwork is on display at Aldrich's

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The seed was planted for Teri Evernden’s craftsmanship at age six, as she worked and learned alongside her mother in art classes. Everdeen says she’s forever grateful that her mother always encouraged her creative side.

The keen eye her lineage fostered prevailed, even as she took on the weight of working for Starbucks corporate office in Seattle, commuting to the city daily until the pandemic turned her work remote.

“Life happened and I haven’t really pursued anything until now,” Evernden said.

“Now that I have time on my hands, I started thinking, well what can I do over the winter? I started taking an art class about a year ago with a friend about different types of mediums.”

It was there that she learned about abstract fluid artwork and, enlivened and in the absence of a lengthy commute, she turned her sights back to art more passionately.

Learning on her own, Evernden developed a unique ability to capture Northwestern surroundings in seemingly out-of-control materials when she dove into abstract fluid art. Using everyday items like plastic file dividers, paper towel rolls, and hair-dryers, she guides acrylic paints into forms that represent the beauty of the Quimper Peninsula and beyond.

“You don’t have to have a paintbrush or anything fancy to do it, which is what I love about it,” Evernden said.

She also adores the endless array of techniques accessible with fluid art and has continued learning, playing, and growing on nights and weekends when she’s not working.

Her paintings are titled simply after their likeness with stand-outs being, “Sea Glass,” “Aurora,” “Colliding Oceans,” “Garden Fence,” and, perhaps her most popular, “Fire & Ice.” The paintings themselves are lively on the canvas with visible texture, luscious color, and controlled chaos. She’s been working on several Ukraine-inspired pieces as well, using color and shape to represent both Russia’s invasion and Ukraine fighting back. Each painting tells a story like that and can envelop viewers in their narratives.

Her exhibit is on display amidst cafe seating on the second floor of Aldrich’s through May. Visitors are encouraged to sit with her alluring work over lunch and a coffee.

To learn more or to purchase a painting, visit terisarts.com.