Artist Statement
My work investigates the tension between surface and depth—what is shown, what is hidden, and what refuses to stay buried. I use encaustics, mosaics, and reclaimed materials to explore identity, emotion, and societal expectation through layered, tactile compositions that invite close inspection.
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Guided by a feminist perspective, I engage with themes of autonomy, perception, and transformation. Through bold color, deliberate mark-making, and fractured forms, I aim to reveal the contradictions we live within—strength and softness, freedom and containment, beauty and burden.
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I’m drawn to processes that involve heat, pressure, or breaking—methods that reflect the emotional excavation behind each piece. Whether figurative or abstract, my work seeks to hold space for ambiguity, agency, and the quiet power of complexity.
Artist CV
Teresa Rench (b. 1972, US)
Recent Exhibitions
2025
47th Annual SpringFest | Mooresville Arts Gallery, Mooresville, NC
2024
Buzzing Botanicals | City of Mount Holly Grand Hall, Mount Holly, NC
2023
Call of the Wild | Mount Holly Historical Society, Mount Holly, NC
2023
Plein Air Paint-Out | Mount Holly, NC
2022
Plein Air Paint-Out | Mount Holly, NC
2021
The Summit | Mount Holly, NC
2021
Plein Air Paint-Out | Mount Holly, NC
2020
Plein Air Paint-Out | Mount Holly, NC
2019
Fall Free For All | Hartwitzen Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2019
Re-Current | Tapp’s Arts Center, Columbia, SC
2019
First Light | Mount Holly, NC
2018
Re-Current | Jones Carter Gallery, Lake City, SC
2018
Deja Vu | Tapp’s Arts Center, Columbia, SC
2018
Earth Day | The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
2018
Art with Heart | Charlotte, NC
2018
A New View | Daytona Beach, FL
2017
Deja Vu | Tapp’s Arts Center, Columbia, SC
2017
Spring Free For All | Hartwitzen Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2017
Artfields | Lake City, SC
2016
Outside is In | The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
2016
Deja Vu | Tapp’s Arts Center, Columbia, SC
Public Artworks
2025-2026
Blooming | Mount Holly Municipal Complex Outdoor Gallery, Mount Holly, NC
2024-2025
Plight of the Turtles | Mount Holly Municipal Complex Outdoor Gallery, Mount Holly, NC
Permanent
Bee City Art Scavenger Hunt | 8 Locations, Mount Holly, NC
Publications
2020
“Art Spaces & Artists” | Gaston County Arts & Culture, p. 15-16
2019-2020
“The Guide for Belmont Mount Holly” | MontCross Chamber of Commerce, cover
Fall 2018
“Creative Corner” | Ballantyne Magazine, p. 96
Spring 2018
“Vivid Local” | Ballantyne Magazine, p. 65
Residencies
Sept 2022
Studio Residency, Olive Stack Gallery, Listowel, Ireland
Awards
First Place
Ice Queen, Mount Holly Lantern Parade, 2024
First Place
Blooming, Buzzing Botanicals Juried Competition, 2024
Second Place
Plight of the Turtles, Call of the Wild Juried Competition, 2023
Honorable Mention
Taking Root, Gaston County Museum of Art & History, Shut-in Exhibit, 2022
Honorable Mention
Plight of the Turtles, Gaston County Museum of Art & History, Shut-in Exhibit, 2022
Best of Show
Awaken, Fall Palette Plein Air Event, 2020
First Place
Pheonix, Mount Holly Lantern Parade, 2018
Solo Exhibit Award
Jones Carter Gallery, Artfields, 2017