Lia Sunshine ter Heide sees her work as a conversation between herself and the audience. She feels that it is important for her to leave space within the work for the audience’s perspective. Her work is interdisciplinary in nature, and she chooses her media to suit the needs of each concept as it is developed. She has worked in clay, plaster, wood, and fabric sculpture; ink, acrylic and watercolor painting; drawing, graphic design, photography, video, performance, installation, writing, and digital media.
For over 30 years, her default medium has been acrylic paint. Her paintings frequently explore elements of pattern, texture, and colour which are inspired by natural phenomena. She is fascinated by minutiae, drawn to oddity, and given to bursts of enthusiasm. When she is not making art, or teaching, she can be found hyper-analyzing tv shows, listening to music, cooking with gusto, and taking long walks along the river. She holds a BA (1992) from the University of Saskatchewan, and an MA (1998) and MFA (2000) in Intermedia from the University of Iowa.
Lia on teaching: Studies have shown that arts education increases empathy and supports mental health. Everyone is an artist. My job is to facilitate the development of skills, so that students feel empowered to create, and satisfied with their product. No matter what the age or skillset of the student, my goal is to assist them in finding their own distinctive and authentic artistic voice.