Teri Sodd Art Prints of Southwestern Images

Teri Sodd is a self-taught artist with the exception of art classes she took while at Coronado High School in Lubbock, Texas. After her graduation, she worked as a watercolor portrait artist at Six Flags Over Texas, in Arlington for two years. She considers this period invaluable, and some of the best training in her life. From this job she learned how to look at people, capture them, and see what makes them real in a short period of time. After a brief career as a hairdresser, Teri started traveling to weekend shows selling turquoise jewelry. During those trips and shows, she met, visited and became friends with many Native Americans. The people and their costumes rekindled her interest in drawing. She sold her first few charcoals for three dollars each. She then started working in pastels. Teri is doing what she loves and her art is about the people that she loves, the Native Americans. A Cherokee-Lakota friend of Teri's gave her the name "Morning Star Rising," which represents the first star at night and is always found at the end of Teri's signature. In 1981, Teri moved to Ruidoso, New Mexico with her daughter and mother. There she opened a gallery, and for seven years, Mountain Arts Gallery changed location several times, but in 1988, found permanence when Teri was able to purchase its existing location. Today she can be found in her home and studio in the foothills of the Sierra Blanca, outside of Ruidoso or outside backpacking, camping or taking photographs.