A visual artist with a background in architecture and sustainability, Teresa Stern is focused on the link between humans and nature. Stern’s work pulls inspiration from the landscape, and exaggerates color or form inspired by memory and emotions from each place. Her work walks the line between expressionism and realism. She often paints in her Pacific NW forests and coasts, but will pretty much paint or draw wherever she finds herself. Her paintings and drawings seek to celebrate the awe of nature, and draw the viewer into the scenery, into nature. Her work is an act of nurturing wellness and activism, as she sees human harmony with nature as a critical link for a thriving humanity. Stern’s past life in sustainable architecture inspires her drive to use art as a connector between humans and nature, as well as influences her material choices. She works primarily in oil paints - minus the typical petroleum solvents and sealers - and seeks to incorporate reclaimed wood and canvas, natural inks, and other materials that tread gently on the environment.

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Stern currently lives and works in Seattle, in the NW coast of the U.S. She holds a Masters of Sustainable Architecture degree from the University of Arizona, and has worked on sustainable projects all over the world. Her studies have also included art, photography, and videography at Gage and Pratt in Seattle, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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She has had solo exhibits of her work in Seattle, and group exhibitions across the United States, including Yuan-Ru Art Center, Slip Gallery, Gallery B612, and Ellington-White. Stern is a showing member of the Center of Contemporary Art in Seattle, Washington, and of Artma, a female arts collective based in Bellevue, Washington, where she exhibits in their Pop-Up shows in Seattle and Bellevue. 

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Stern was an Artist in Residence at Centrum at the Fort Worden Washington State Park, and at the Hypatia-in-the-Woods in Shelton, Washington. She has received two smArt Grants from the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. Her art and writing has been featured in House and Garden Magazine, Departures Magazine, the History Channel, The Earthkeepers Handbook, Subjectiv Journal, and Arcade NW Magazine.