Interview with Terra Supp
Winner of Color, 2025
Published by Katarina Bishop on 02.03.2025
In this interview, I got to know Terra Supp, an American photographer, mixed media artist, and art educator based in Queens, New York. Terra was awarded 1st place in our exhibition, Color. To view more of Terra’s work, please visit her website here
Can you tell us about your background as an artist? How did you first become interested in art?
I’ve always loved drawing. When I was 4 or 5 someone asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I said I wanted to draw. And they said that’s what an artist does. So I thought, ok, I want to be an artist.
Your artwork in Color is titled, 'Dog Days'. Can you tell us more about this piece and its meaning?
Dog days are the most unbearable days of summer. I started this drawing in the summer, ignored it for awhile and finished it in the winter. It’s about feeling overwhelmed.
What draws you to this subject matter, and how does it inform your creative process?
My art is just a reflection of my emotional state and whatever I’m thinking about on any given day. Very little is premeditated. It allows me to work with a sense of spontaneity and looseness which I find therapeutic.
How do you navigate creative blocks or challenges in your artistic practice?
I don’t struggle much when making art, but I do struggle with the things surrounding it: the marketing, networking, pricing works etc.
While working, I go by the idea that a work of art is never really finished, they only stop at good places. So I’m not afraid to make mistakes in my drawings, because I think mistakes are beautiful and lead to their own solutions. It also helps to have lots of projects on rotation at any given time. That way whenever I’m not connecting with one thing, I can just go work on another.
What mediums do you primarily work with, and why? Do you have a favorite medium or technique?
I use all kinds of mediums, I love exploring materials. I tend toward mixed-media drawings for their convenience and versatility: you can pick up one drawing tool and then another and it’s very immediate and interchangeable. It’s portable too, all you need is a sketchbook and pencil case. This makes it easier for me to create throughout the day, like while on the subway or babysitting.
How do you see your art evolving in the future? Are there any new techniques or ideas that you're excited to explore?
I have a bigger work space now, so I’m trying to take advantage of that and create works on a larger scale. I’d like to incorporate more found materials, such as house-paints and discarded wood. I really love wood. Above all I’m interested in expanding into murals.
What do you hope viewers take away from your art? Are there any messages or emotions you aim to convey?
I don’t like to force my perspective onto people, I want my viewers to take from it what they need. My work is about life, I record what I see and feel, but the aim is always for it to remain somewhat subjective. I often obscure elements that I feel are too autobiographical.
My work sometimes gets described as childish, probably because of the messiness and funny looking cartoons. Yet the topics I’m exploring aren’t childish at all. A lot of my work has to do with anxiety, violence, imperialism, love, loneliness, war. The big drivers of life, these are things that weigh heavy on me. But at the same time, I think the world needs more pretty, playful things. I don’t ever want to chide or sadden my viewer. I hope to give them something they can enjoy and relate to.
What influences or sources of inspiration inform your artistic practice?
I get inspiration from everywhere. Some I get from current events, social media, the kids I work with and from living in NYC. Some I get from art history or from other contemporary artists. I love pre-Columbian ceramics and Cy Twombly. The Mission School artists of San Fransico are probably my biggest formal influence.
What are you currently working on, and what projects or exhibitions do you have planned for the future?
Once winter ends I hope to do more murals, but right now, I’m working on a couple of private commissions and a project to fundraise for an animal shelter.
Finally, what advice would you offer to aspiring artists who are just starting their creative journey?
Read Keith Haring’s journals and try not to stress too much. Also, love your audience!
