"Creating Beautiful, Passionate, Soul Touching Work
is my artistic goal. Spending the time and care on my highly detailed paintings, trying to shine a light on the Buddha-nature within each of us, is one way that I send more love out into the world.”
Short Professional Bio:
Teresa Bolen is an award-winning portrait artist. As a youngster, Bolen always loved making art. However traditional atelier training was unavailable to her, so she pursued other passions until the worldwide connecting possibilities of the internet brought training that would allow her to create the kind of artwork she had always dreamed of right into her home.
She has been able to study online from Jason Seiler, been mentored by Dirk Dzimirsky, and in 2021 she began a mentorship program from living master Steve Huston. With his gentle guidance and mentorship, Bolen is flourishing, and decided to start learning oil painting last January, 2023. Three of her oil paintings have already won awards in international juried competitions (as of April 2024).
Bolen says she feels incredibly blessed and grateful for these opportunities, and wants to help make the world a more beautiful and peaceful place through her artwork, and through grass-roots community workshops.
2024 Art Collectors Choice Awards, Most Wins Prize – 16 Wins:
CHARCOAL/GRAPHITE – FIGURE, 2nd Place; 6th Place
EROTIC – MALE, 2nd Place
IMPRESSIONISM – FIGURE, 4th Place
ORIENTALISM or ASIAN SUBJECT, 6th Place
PORTRAIT OF SOMEONE NOT FAMOUS, 3rd Place; 6th Place
REALISM – ANIMAL, 5th Place
REALISM – HUMAN, 3rd Place; 4th Place; 5th Place – Tie; 5th Place – Tie; 6th Place
DIGITAL ART – REPRESENTATIONAL, 2nd Place; 3rd Place; 6th Place
2023 American Art Awards
ORIENTALISM and/or ASIAN SUBJECT, 4th Place; 5th Place
PORTRAIT OF SOMEONE NOT FAMOUS, 4th Place
REALISM – HUMAN, 5th Place
2023 Teravarna Water International Juried Art Competition Talent Prize
2023, January – Began oil painting
2021 – present: Mentored by Steve Huston
2019-2021 – Mentored by Dirk Dzimirsky
2018 – Critiqued Course on Realistic Portraits by Jason Seiler
American Art Awards 4x Winner 2023
2023 was the first time I attempted to enter an art competition since my decision to become an artist. I was deeply honored that my work was chosen as a winner in four categories of the 2023 American Art Awards. Artists from 75 countries entered, and the competition was extremely tough. This video has been edited down with permission from the American Art Awards and Mr. Thom Bierdz.
Different "Flavors" of Realism
In the age where virtually everyone carries a camera in their pocket, I hope to reach deeply into the hearts of viewers, igniting a sense of oneness and connection both within themselves and the world around them that goes beyond what we can capture in a click. I'm learning to work in varying levels of detail - from my first love, hyperrealism, to abstract realism, in an attempt to embrace an expression of reality that extends beyond the possibilities of photography. I hope that through this bespoke loving care my pieces will be as precious to my clients as their memories, and immediately recognizable.
Lifelong Learning
Art, love, joy, passion, and love of learning are lifelong themes for me. I did not attend a traditional atelier for training, so I am on a lifelong quest to learn from the abundance of trainings with living masters in various places in the world, thanks to the technology of the wondrous age in which we live.
In order to get ever closer to my artistic goals, I seek out the direct personal tutelage of the great artists I admire whenever possible and am grateful for the opportunity and blessings of having these magnificent artists in my life. I have been mentored by Hyperrealism Master, Dirk Dzimirsky; and I am currently being mentored by World Class Artist/Art Teacher, Steve Huston, in addition to being an active member of his Draws from Life Inner Circle of clients.
Additional Information
In my half-century plus on earth, I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to experience a variety of careers, playing flute professionally, teaching, hosting a radio show, and writing, including an Amazon bestselling book. For me these are all different expressions of the same energy, and I see visual art as the next step in my development of living an artistic, sacred life. I am currently living and creating art in Japan, where I teach (mostly English) at Ryukoku University, with my new drawing course, Drawing Plants of Buddhism, that began in the Fall of 2023.
Artwork for You
If you’re interested in one of the available pieces, or if you’d like to have a conversation about having me create an original portrait of you or a loved one, please send a message here through the contact page.
English