A lifelong interest in art became the grounds for Thomas’ pursuit of a career in the fashion industry. Over time she became progressively more concerned with the commoditization of beauty, the industry’s emphasis on physical perfection and society’s obsession with achieving this standard. Soon she was unable to decipher if her work in fashion was empowering or if it was contributing to a growing contemporary problem.
In 2001, Terri decided to give up her 15-year career in fashion and pursue an art degree. She graduated from Corcoran College of Art & Design with honors in 2004. Influenced by the work of artists like Cindy Sherman, Douglas Gordon, Jenny Saville, Marc Quinn, Jeff Koons and Vanessa Beecroft, Terri’s work with large-scale, cinematic painting, sculpture, photography and video challenges preconceptions about beauty, femininity and sexuality and explores how the utopian promises of the media both feed and reconcile anxieties about the self. Her work has been shown in multiple group and solo exhibitions throughout the country. The artist is represented by Lyons Wier Gallery in Chelsea, NY and currently lives and works in Austin, Texas.
