"Praise Poems – that is how I think of my paintings. Like a poem, they are constructions...records of observation and leaps of imagination. In this time of climate change, I constantly remind myself of the wonders we are losing, not just the disasters we are creating. Working to preserve what one loves can be a strong motivator, dire warnings can be crippling.  
 
I paint by focusing on naturalistic detailed forms of leaves, stones, clouds, frogs, fish, and birds, while juxtaposing abstraction and realism in each painting. The more closely I look, the more abstract the patterns become. Swirls of pollen and duckweed on a pond’s surface can feel abstract, even when the sun is casting clearly defined shadows across the surface. Surrounding woods can be inferred in the leafy, dancing shapes of the shadows. 
 
I see realism and abstraction as points on the axis of proximity. I work to master the accidents that are possible when techniques collide. My early study of printmaking, then watercolor, and finally oil painting opened me to new ways of seeing and recording the natural world. I let the medium inform the approach and final result. I know it is at the intersection of these three mediums that my best impulses reveal themselves."  - Teri Malo