Therese “Terri” Rea is a painter and the winner of this month’s Art League Award for Best in Show. Her painting The Immigrants took home the award in our December Open Exhibit, juried by Margaret Adams Parker, on view through January 7, 2018.

We asked the artist to tell us more about this painting. Here’s what she wrote:

The Immigrants seemed to paint itself.

I have been concerned about the xenophobia that is spreading worldwide — the hatred and fear of “the other” that is so dangerous and frightening. I had an underpainting and then added some white gesso and started “cutting out” shapes.

The muted palette seemed appropriate for a somber subject. As it evolved I was very aware of the sense of immigrants, strangers in strange lands and the yearning for home as well as the yearning to stay together and be safe. My dad was British, my mum was Czech, and they survived the horrors of World War II.

My creative process is really quite fluid. I enjoy spontaneity.

I began painting with watercolor and have since moved to acrylic painting. While I greatly admire the freshness and clarity of transparent watercolor, I realize that my process is more intuitive and spontaneous. I tend to want my paintings to tell some sort of story, but I also enjoy working with pattern and some abstraction.