Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Teri Shagoury of Lake Forest

We recently had the chance to connect with Teri Shagoury and have shared our conversation below.

Teri, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Lately I have felt more and more challenged to share about why I create and what I feel called to do with my art. I feel compelled to paint what I understand (often vaguely) God compels me to paint and how I go about it–what inspires me and how I turn those inspirations into paintings. I used to think that a work of art could stand alone, that those who are meant to appreciate it or understand it would automatically “get it.” Now, I think that may happen rarely, but more likely people prefer some context and background about where the ideas originated.

Recently, I was asked to do live painting at an event for women experiencing grief. I agreed and was willing to do so, but wondered how to prepare for such an event. The organizer suggesting displaying other work that could be viewed while I was working on a new painting as the conference took place. I looked at older work and and some were suitable, but then I found that I felt removed from the topic–and suddenly it came to me that I had to tap into my own grief–which suddenly came to mind. It was buried I guess. So I tackled a painting I was working on and transformed it to be an expression of my past grief. I was astonished at what came out so quickly and it expressed emotions I had processed before. I felt good about it, and that I had let something go in the creation of the piece.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am primarily an artist of faith. In the art I create, I work to communicate ideas, concepts and emotions that I feel when I am pondering scripture. Sometimes I dwell on a passage for days or weeks at a time, reading it over and over again, daily. Most of my work is very layered so there is a history that occurs on the canvas or paper. I find that I am fascinated with moments in time—moments that signal change, growth, an about face. I have noticed that when I’m working on a series, that my work often has a narrative quality–a kind of “wordless storytelling.” I’ve been making art since I was very young, yet it was actually in the last few years I’ve realized it as a gift, and that somehow that was one of the things God created for me to do.
My favorite thing is to hear what others see in the paintings and how it makes them feel. This is interesting because it informs my understanding of the work and the kinds of responses various elements in the paintings evoke.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
When I was very young I was very much afraid of new situations, taking risks, and saying “no” to other people. I guess for some reason I never wanted to hurt someone’s feelings. It was not reciprocal as I found out in later years, but I adopted the approach to always try to be constructive and encouraging when speaking with people. It was a very helpful strategy in my teaching years.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You were created by God to be exactly the way you are, and if you rely on Him and trust Him you can do amazing things and discover things that are only meant for you to do. God has equipped you to grow into the person He desgned you to be. You can accomplish much if you rely on Him.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
It is very difficult for me to be who I am not. I believe it is important to be consistent and honest about who I am. It actually never crossed my mind to try to be something I’m not, or to pretend to be better than I am, or exagerrate what I have done. I believe our legacy can speak for itself, without pointing out evidence. I value integrity, creativity and honesty.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
Living in another country with totally a different language, where customs and attitudes and ways of relating were new to me. “Normal” is different in every culture. Learning to manage and live and thrive in my work and life in a new country taught me a lot about myself and about people. I was there for about 35 years–which sounds like a lot but was never boring and filled with experiences that I would never have had otherwise.

I embraced life and the choices I made living in Syria and saw it as an opportunity few others would have. There were a few of us Americans married to Syrians and that helped and we were all very close. Many of us worked at the American school and the community of expats, parents, diplomats and buisness people made for a very interesting life. Until today I feel close to all those friends and relatives. I would not be the person I am today without having had that experience. What I value most is having a more accepting attitude to people from all cultures and greatly value knowing about so many kinds of people from so many places.

Lliving in another very ancient country also influenced my art. I began to value geographical history, noticing textures developed over centuries, seeking to visit ruins that went back hundreds, even thousands of years. Wandering in alleys of the old city of Damascus and in ruins inthe nirthern part of the country– finding old doors, textured walls and fabric all evidence of the culture that survives til today. I loved finding old symbols on doorways and inscriptions on walls. I got to meet experts on particular sites who would come and study these ancient artifacts and ruins and point out relics and details of ancient buildings and share their insights.

Texture has become an important element of my work as well as incorproating symbols. All of the things I saw and experienced works its way into my art in different ways and I may not even be aware of these influences, but when I stop and think about it, they are there.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Jenny Hopkins
Teri Shagoury

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