A Thousand Words: Featuring Painter Terry Rose

Terry Rose is an artist from Des Moines who specializes in acrylic abstract art. I've known him since the late '80s, and always thought that there was a psychedelic flair to his personality. Little did I know then that he was also an extremely talented painter, who was able to transpose that psychedelic flair to a canvas. His artwork is striking visually and it deserves a wide audience. Terry seems to have that rare ability to see a picture in his mind, and then create an exact replica on the canvas. His attention to detail is astounding. 

In this segment of A Thousand Words, Terry will share some of his favorite paintings, along with a paragraph or two about each one. It's an absolute pleasure to have him on board.

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"Under The Surface" 

Acrylic 22" by 28" (Click to enlarge)

This painting is going in the direction that I find myself today. I don't necessarily stick to a certain style but this is what I might call “abstract realism” or a play on words, “real abstraction.”

This is derived from an image that I thought would result in a good painting. I admittedly do this often. I search and find subject matter wherever I can. I usually know instantly if it has potential. I must like the image. I paint for myself. You could say I'm a collector of my own art.

If you paint you will create. Through color, texture and how you interpret the image slowly becomes your painting. In this picture I've found little animals or beings. When I do find something I take advantage of this “happy accident” as Bob Ross would say. I'm all about execution and an image that I  want people to like.

"One Lucky Indian" 

 Acrylic 24" by 36"
(Click to enlarge)

This cherry Tootsie Pop started a series for me. It had been an idea for several years before hand to paint an image of a tootsie pop wrapper and substitute my own characters for their original.

In this case it turned out to be somewhat of a self portrait. It includes things that I most like to do or that reflect me as a person. I kept the Indian as an iconic figure that represents Americana and is easily recognizable. This is a replication of an actual wrapper that I noticed was very unique indeed. The owls, the extra color combination of green and especially the symmetrical designs in the back round make it one of a kind. I in fact, with much searching, have never come across it again. This has been my template for all the succeeding tootsie pop paintings I've done. They all have themes and different flavors. The last three, blueberry. lime and blood orange don't exist as wrappers for tootsie pop. My first three, cherry, banana, and watermelon do.

"High Seas" 

Acrylic 24" by 36"
(Click to enlarge)

This is the fourth painting in the Tootsie Pop series. This was an idea given to me by my cousin who has collected all of the Tootsie Pop prints. Lime went with the theme in this case. Lime begged off scurvy for sailors. The challenge for me here as in all the tootsie pops is to get enough color combinations to make it appealing. This has three shades of green along with yellow. Themes seem to be much easier than creating a painting with enough colors that work together. I do use stencils for tootsie and the name of the flavor. I cut out a cardboard P and O for the POP. I use the plastic lid of a microwave plate for the circle. I transfer the character images free hand to the canvass in pencil and then paint them in. I can use up to four coats in some cases depending on the color being used and also admittedly the quality of paint. I have two more in mind to do. Grape and Pomegranate are both actual wrappers. I have themes in mind but as I said the colors, particularly Grape, can prove challenging.

"Chasing Butterflies" 

Acrylic 4 ft. by 5 ft. (Click to enlarge)

This is probably my best effort to date. It is the second canvass that I put together myself from a two by four and bulk canvass. That was progress in itself. It ended up costing about $20.

This is my largest canvass that includes some of my favorite elements. Trees are a favorite subject as well as the contrast between black and very bright colors. It's also an interesting vantage point.

"Magnetic Ink" 

Acrylic 24" by 30" (Click to enlarge)

This is abstract realism to me. This is something that actually exists in nature, albeit at the molecular level. It was fun to paint while animals and beings were created in the process. It is in the same vein as several other paintings I've done. A heat sensitive satellite image of  Mars, a polished rock at the microscopic level and”Water balloons,” which was derived from an image of pond fronds. I filled it in with bright colors and it became very abstract. This was the beginning of my quest for abstract realism. All these images lend to the creativity that I look for in the painting process. I come across something that reminds me of say, a face, and I take that to the next level by making it more and more recognizable.

"Temple Theater"  

Acrylic 18" X 44" (Click to enlarge)

This is my most current work and one that's in progress. This is a style I've come across and jokingly call "Historical Pop." It is  an Aztec  depiction with the feel of spirits intertwined in it. I found that for me it's all about details. There is no need to rush it to the end. I will continue on this for a period of time until I feel it's full. This minute detail leads to finding things within the picture. Faces are the most common find and when I do I will exaggerate them until the viewer sees them as well. In this case I feel it's not one of my stronger works but at the same time it's quite representative of what I do. That happens to be all over the place. I do have a sister painting of sorts that relates to this one and that is by chance. It's also Aztec  in origin and so I must  be drawn to their culture and art. What I paint is often by chance. What I come across or find that I feel  will make an attractive painting. It's all in nature of course and nature is truly magical in every form. I'm constantly looking for my next scene.