Accomplished mixed media artist and retired architect Teryl Mullock uses an instinctual approach in creating his evocative works. Hazy, organic backgrounds support layers of line, fluid shapes, and geometrical edges. The work is abstract, but viewers can’t help but see undersea worlds, landscapes, and natural forms. Although he has lived in Gibsons since 1998, Mullock recalls that it was an art retreat in Spain, hosted by our own “Marlenes/Marleens” (Lowden and Vermeulen), that sparked his interest in this personal creative activity:
“I embraced a process driven approach to painting early on, following the example set by several international artists that I admired, but searching for a unique way of working that would suit my sensibility. I didn’t learn my process from anyone, I developed it through several years of experimentation and discovery in
the studio.”
Mixed media work might have parallels with architecture – foundation, layering, and building with 3D and 2D effects in mind – but Mullock sees his process of using mixed media on canvas as more the opposite:
“With architecture and construction, as I think of it, the result is anticipated in the beginning.”
In contrast, Mullock never plans his artwork. This allows ultimate freedom, and that means no time, size, or material constraints, and never knowing or anticipating the outcome:
“The abstract art process I have embraced does not allow me to know where the work might lead, so that expectation about outcome is impossible. By entering a space of not knowing, I am open to whatever transpires along the way.”
Mullock draws, paints, and cuts out shapes, keeping them in bundles in his studio. They might hang there for years until something calls them to the pieces he’s working on. This means, too, that the size of a finished work is seldom predetermined. A different process creates the background, for which he employs washes of colour for a more “atmospheric” effect that will contrast with geometric shapes and layers of colour and form. What we experience is an intuitive dance between 2D and 3D elements.
What does this year hold for Teryl Mullock?
“I am thrilled to be working on a series of large-scale paintings for two solo shows this summer (Gibsons Public Art Gallery July 24 – August 17 and Hearth on Bowen August 27 – September 15) on the theme “Transformed by Water.” This theme speaks to my process, which relies heavily on the use of water to create form and texture in my work, echoing the primacy of water as the essential element of life on our planet.”
