TERRY SITZ

About the Artist

erry Sitz is a native Washingtonian and 3rd generation artist. Her work is an excavation of self that is enhanced by a dedicated yoga practice and a commitment to sharing in a vulnerable and authentic way. While having studied with a number of artists, she credits her DNA for her strong sense of composition and eye for looking at things differently. Terry’s paintings are layered with mixed media--vintage and recycled objects-- strong colors and abstracted forms. She approaches her art with shades of rebellion and takes inspiration from artists who pushed the envelope including Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani and Basquiat. She regularly blogs about her art process and her vision of the world. For more than two decades, Terry split her time between running her assisted living company and her lifelong passion for art. Following the sale of the company in early 2016, she has fully dedicated herself to her creative work. Her works are in private and corporate collections throughout the US. Upcoming : Clinical Center Gallery, National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD) Solo Show (November 2018) ​Past Exhibits: Yada Dada, Gallery 505 North Gallery (Frederick, MD) Invitational Group Show (November 2017) Athenaeum Invitational: Glow (Alexandria, VA), Juried Group Show (Sept 21-Oct 29, 2017) The Color of BOOM, Artists and Makers Gallery (MD), Solo Show (June 2017) Artomatic Crystal City (VA), Group Show (2017) Artomatic Potomac, (MD) Group (2016) Oh, The Joy! Athenaeum (VA) Juried Group (2016) Light of our Future, Children’s Nat’l Medical Center (DC) Juried Group (2016) Cava Grill permanent collection (MD) 2016 Yellow Barn Annual Juried Member Show (MD) Juried Group (2015) Artomatic2015, (MD) Group, 2015 Abstract Expressionist Paintings, Yellow Barn (MD) Group (2015) Abstract Expressionist Paintings, Yellow Barn (MD) Group (2014) Artomatic Takes Flight (VA) Group Show(2014) Red, dcart Gallery (MD) Juried Group Show(2013) Artomatic Frederick (MD) Group Show (2013 Celebrate the Healing Power of Art, (OL) Manhattan Arts Internat’l, Juried Group (2013) Spirits Fly: The Yoga-Inspired Art of Terry Sitz, Bikram Studio (Bethesda,MD) Solo Show (2012) Artomatic Crystal City (VA) Group Show (2012) Awards and Honors: Semi-Finalist, Bethesda Painting Awards (2017) National Resource Center for Domestic Violence, Image for International Women’s day (2017) Children’s National Medical Center: Light of our Future, Selected Image of Show (2016) Related: Researcher/Exhibitor, Georgetown University Medical School, Study on Child Patients' Response to Abstract Art (2017-ongoing)

Artist's Statement

As a kid from a family mired in trauma, my early art was pure self-preservation and escape. And then color began lighting my world. Christmas Lights. Crayola 64s. Neon Signs. Decades later, I graduated to creating mixed media paintings with bold colors on big canvases. My work expresses those things that initially cannot be put into words. My canvases are a springboard for personal insight, unconscious expression and social commentary. Often when complete, I come to a point of epiphany and am able to articulate and write about the inspiration that drove me. My paintings include many layers and a myriad of found, up-cycled objects… items that one would not think of as particularly beautiful, but upon further glance offer artistry and meaning to the piece: vintage stamps, old sewing patterns, grocery bags, typewritten pages from my mother's unpublished love stories, the tag from my daughter's jeans and bits of fabric from old quilts. The recycling of historic and mundane objects resonates with me deeply. On the surface, their beauty may not be apparent, but as you shift your focus, there is something there for you. And in many ways this is a metaphor for my worldview: Things are best not judged quickly. Nothing is all black or white—all good or bad. That as you sit and allow yourself to open to new ways of seeing, you may find exactly what you need. There maybe connection-- and even joy.