Member of the Month
Teresa Selbee Baker

Full Name: Teresa Selbee Baker

Medium: Oil Paint

How long have you been doing your art? I started in high school in the late 90s. I continued dabbling until I completed my BFA at Thompson Rivers University in 2006. I have been working professionally since 2021.

What got you originally interested in the art you do: Reflection and nagging ideas that won’t go away would be the simplest answer. My work is heavily based on my reflections of my life, where I connect to and where I do not. Each time I create a piece it leads to another or at least inspires another question to work through or process to learn.

What is something you have learned about yourself through your art: My art is where I work out what I can not seem to put to words. It is also a very intuitive process for me, that gets worked out as I am going.

What do you enjoy the most about your art: Standing back and seeing a detail come together or a new technique unfold… I find this so exciting.

What is something most people don’t know about you: I would love to have an end-of-life senior dog rescue. I adore old dogs.

If you could teach everyone one art medium or method, what would it be, why: Last year I learnt a technique using acrylic ink, coloured pencils and fine-line ink pens. That is definitely the one. I think it often happens especially when artists are starting, that they expect things to look great as soon as they start. That an image be perfect as you create. But I found this process forces you to let that go as you start with loose sketches and then drop the acrylic ink on paper. There is no control there. You have to let the medium build up and work with its natural qualities only coming to the fine details as you come to finishing.

What do you think makes art important: Its expression, a viewer’s connection and ability to experience a range of emotions without a single word spoken by the artist.

Why are you a member of the Kamloops Arts Council: I grew up in Kamloops went to school in Kamloops and return often for friends and family, I want to be a part of the art community there and to see it continue to thrive

What are you looking forward to the most in this upcoming year (A special show or project you’re working on): A group show I am a part of in Sechelt BC with four other artists in March and an Art Residency in Ireland in July!