ARTIST STATEMENT FOR THERESA ZINGG

Artist Statement:

My work explores the layered nature of identity — the visible self and the internal landscapes that exist beneath it. Through both figurative and non-objective abstract painting, I investigate emotion, memory, and the tension between structure and spontaneity.

In my figurative pieces, faces emerge from fields of color, fragmented text, gestural marks, and intuitive line work. These figures are not portraits of specific individuals, but psychological spaces — reflections of shared inner experiences. I’m drawn to the coexistence of control and chaos: the precision of a gaze against the unpredictability of drips, erasures, and layered textures. Scribbled symbols and urban mark-making function like thoughts — overlapping, interrupted, rewritten — echoing the complexity of becoming.

Alongside my figurative work, my non-objective abstracts remove the anchor of the human form entirely. In these pieces, emotion is carried purely through movement, color, rhythm, and spatial tension. Without representation, the viewer is invited into a more intuitive encounter — one that feels atmospheric, immersive, and open to interpretation. These works often explore energy, subconscious memory, and the unseen forces that shape perception.

Color plays a central emotional role throughout my practice. Saturated pinks, teals, ochres, and deep shadows create environments that feel both intimate and expansive. Each painting becomes a conversation between instinct and intention, fragmentation and wholeness, vulnerability and strength.

Whether through the human figure or through abstraction alone, my work invites viewers to look beyond the surface — to consider identity as fluid, layered, and continuously evolving.

I am a Charleston-based contemporary artist working in disciplined minimal form with an intentional edge.

I did not come to this work early. I came to it with experience — life, reinvention, and clarity. At 54, I am building a body of work that reflects restraint, tension, and quiet confidence.

My paintings explore balance and disruption. Clean lines meet interruption. Soft space meets controlled force. What appears minimal at first glance reveals structure, layering, and deliberate decisions beneath the surface.

Q: Who is Theresa Zingg?
A: Theresa Zingg is a Charleston, South Carolina based contemporary abstract artist creating original oil paintings.

Q: What type of artwork does she create?
A: She creates textured, non‑objective abstract paintings that add depth and emotion to modern homes, offices, and galleries.

Q: What materials and techniques does she use?
A: Her work is created with oil paint and mixed media, built through multiple layered applications to achieve rich texture and expressive movement.

Bold Contemporary Abstracts