Teresa Nadeau is a lifelong resident of Alabama and lives in her hometown of Montgomery. She earned her degree in Elementary Education and was a third grade teacher until she was diagnosed with the disease Scleroderma in the early 1980’s. The painful and crippling effects of the disease forced her to end her career as a teacher and shortly thereafter quit working altogether.
Teresa has never had any formal art training but she has always loved art and has dabbled in many different mediums. Years ago, before she lost the majority of the use of her hands, she preferred more dimensional projects. She created sterling silver and copper wire jewelry, small clay sculptures and stained glass windows. Several years ago, once again feeling healthier, Teresa began looking for an art project she could do with her now bent and twisted fingers.
She worked with acrylic paints decorating serving trays and bowls but the opening and closing of paints and washing brushes proved difficult without assistance. In an effort to be independent in her free time, Teresa tried colored pencils. It’s been a good match allowing her an artistic outlet and creative independence.
Teresa likes the detail drawing and particularly likes drawing birds and other winged creatures. The drawings require tiny strokes, sharp pencil points and a great amount of patience. Most drawings take two to three months to complete.