Teresa Silvestri’s animal paintings are featured at Portola Art Gallery in May
“In the Company of Animals,” an exhibit of animal paintings in watercolor by Belmont resident Teresa Silvestri, is on display during May at the Portola Art Gallery in Menlo Park. There will be a reception for the artist on Saturday, May 17 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm
Teresa’s love of animals and nature has inspired these new works, from the realistic to the whimsical, featuring domestic, wildlife and farm animals. While her representational painting style is characterized by its softness, she is best known for capturing the expression, personality and essence of her subjects through their eyes.
After a career in the business world, Teresa first began her study of painting in 1999 at the Burlingame Recreation Center with artist and teacher Leona Moriarty. At the same time, she began volunteering at a local Humane Society, where she adopted three dogs, and her passion for animals was born. Her love of animals led her to a career in pet portraiture, but after painting more than 100 commissioned pet portraits, she is now allowing her artistic inspiration to direct her work.
Explains Teresa: “My ultimate dream is to live on a farm, surrounded by nature, where I can rescue farm and domestic animals. I’ll have a large, light-filled art studio where I can realize another lifelong dream of illustrating children’s books with a humane animal message. Until then, I continue to find inspiration at my home studio, surrounded by birds, squirrels and my rescued dog, Polly.”
An award-winning artist, Teresa enjoys exhibiting her works in various juried and invitational exhibits, such as Friends of Filoli Art Gallery in Woodside and the San Mateo County Fair where she was honored to be the “Featured Artist” of 2011.
She will be participating in Silicon Valley Open Studios the first two weekends in May with five additional artists at 856 Partridge Avenue in Menlo Park. Her reproductions are sold at Woodside Gallery in Woodside, Peninsula Gallery in San Mateo and the Peninsula Museum of Art Museum Shop in Burlingame. Teresa is also the Curator for the San Mateo County Arts Commission sponsored galleries.
The Portola Art Gallery is located at the Allied Arts Guild, 75 Arbor Rd, in Menlo Park, CA.
“Francesca Rabbit” (9×12″, watercolor, 2014) by Teresa Silvestri
