ARTIST STATEMENT
Theresa Richardson Crubaugh was born and raised in Peoria, IL. She moved to Florida to help with depression and anxiety after a suicide attempt, at 16. Her father died when she was 8, Her sister, age 18, was murdered four years later. Worse yet, she was the only one left with an abusive and controlling mother.
Her first art teacher was an ex-New York advertising artist, who apprenticed under Norman Rockwell. She was a high school drop-out. He talked her into going to college. She followed his advice.
In 1979 she sold her first painting.
She graduated with a B.A. in Art from USF, 1981. Her medium is mostly photography. Her first solo art photography show was at USF, “Greek Mythology: Through The Titans”. On the second day a gentleman offered her $1500 for the entire show. Having just been able to take in the whole show due to size, being so naive, and having no belief in herself, she told him, no. She never stopped photography and was hired by photo labs.
She went back to school for a B.A. Classical Latin and taught Latin with various other subjects including art.
Her mother interrupted her career. Art and gardening kept her sane.
She moved back to rural IL after 35 yrs. of FL. (marriage) and joined a local art center.
Her paintings hung in Bloomington, IL at Behind The Glass Gallery, 2019. She joined an online art discussion group and is a writer/poet on Medium.
© Theresa Crubaugh