Teresa Mills ARBS

Love and Red Roses

2011-07-21T06:43:00.001-07:00

I love the way you try and impress me

you do impress me with your kind

strong way,

Always ahead of me,

I love the way you comb through your hair

running gel through it after moments of passion,

I love the glimmers of softness that come through

like shooting stars through the night

the strong way you control everything

the way you come back again and again

the perfect backbone of my life

I give to you intimately,

my heart, my body and my soul

Legs entwined as lovers do

your tough exterior shows in

short displays the softness

that comes with love,

those short glimmers,

that sustain my heart

I love you

Love and Red Roses

2011-04-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

Circles of Red Roses

2011-01-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

The purity and openess of love,

the circles of my body

caressed by your touch,

I am there to love, please and make you happy

and i am there to be cherished and loved.

the difficult and wonderful moments of life,

the times we have to spend together,

and the absences when we are apart

Love embraces all

You are in my heart

There are times when i am frightend

could i bare to be hurt,

then i feel your solidness around me

big and strong i am safe again

and we are not apart.

The first feelings

2010-12-17T14:57:00.000-08:00

The smell of your aftershave left on the pillow,

The hair on your arms

The way you are ahead of me and like to be ahead of me,

Your body

your blue eyes,

The glimmers of the softer side of the tough exterior.

the way you understand me and push me through so much more,

Your large hands

Listening to you,

The first feelings of a wonderful risk take

Now you are here

2010-12-01T03:17:00.000-08:00

White fluffy rabbit siren,

is caressed and stroked,

I lay my head on your chest

now you are here

The cream rose on the bed

2010-11-11T14:06:00.001-08:00

The soft cream rose lays on the bed,

on the soft silk ripples,

laying waiting.

The Chandelier

2010-11-05T15:41:00.001-07:00

The Orchids

2010-11-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

Wreath 2

2010-11-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

"The Bed"

2010-11-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

An Orchestra of Strings

2010-11-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Bed and Wreath 1

"The Orchids"

2010-10-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

Will we go to this secret place and

discover each other

Away from scrutiny

A place where we can hide away and enjoy each other

The lovers caressing

walking hand in hand

No prying persons here to take time from the

dedicated lovers

A place safe from danger

away from the noise and thunder

none can reach the lovers here

in a world of our own

wrapped up in each others arms

I lay my head on your chest

I listen to your heart beat

we linger in time in this quiet space

our thoughts together

soft whispers of love

just slowly flowing along

just the sound of the sea lapping against the shore

or the wind rustling in the trees

no hurried place to be

just with each other

and far far far away from the maddening crowd

White Fluffy Rabbit Siren

2010-08-18T04:26:00.000-07:00

Find your modern Siren they say,
your man will fall at your feet,
let your inner animal display
and your animal magnetism appears,

I am white fluffy rabbit
thats my inner animal,with an edge of tiger
I sing well like the siren too
and now i have to do everything i want
get on with the things i like
then your man will come to you
magnetised by your inner animal
the white fluffy rabbit
and your singing voice too
and your inner strength and
ability to do what you do
Then we will go to our secret place
far away from view
and when i lay my head on your chest
it means i love and trust you
now you are here.

An Orchestra of Strings

2010-08-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Our fear of love and loss is a very human condition. The following artists present their work in a particular way around this theme. I hope this exhibition presents a serious side, a positive side but also a slightly humorous side too a necessary emotion to deal with the events of life. “ Making light of difficult situations” Teresa Mills Artist and Curator

I love this piece of text by ancient chinese philosopher Lao Tzu

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage" Lao Tzu

Artists

Jonathan Waller
Hedy Esmail
Anwyl Cooper Willis
Polly Cruse
Fiona hughes
Clare Stanhope
Dave Eldergill
Sarah Rose Allen
Jane Tudge
Valentina Gomez
Otto Alexis Schade Lopez
Kathy Taylor
Carl Gent
Lisa Bird
Marco Russo Di Chiara
Anne Lydiat
Teresa Mills ( Artist and Curator)

Discovery of future love

2010-06-15T14:20:00.001-07:00

An Orchestra of Strings

2010-05-31T04:56:00.001-07:00

Back working on my work this week in the studio for the exhibition.

I am excited and fearfull at the same time

I want to take flight fly far away

but i know this is not right

I must face my fears

I have to face that fear of love and loss

I reach out for support from the past

and got it

Ex husbands have their place

Now i must come back and face my

fear at last

stay quite and still

and everything will reveal

you have gone into the risk space

of looking for love

be brave and face the fear

through bad comes good

you just have to stick it through

nothing ever comes easy for you

I feel lost without love

I grow i flourish

when it is right

I feel like an orchid

difficult and exotic

but happy when it blossoms with love

Dad

2010-05-29T08:15:00.001-07:00

Dad

You used to tell me about the desert and Montgomery

playing chess and war all over the dessert with Rommel

you told me about the snakes under your tent

at night there to keep warm under your sleeping bag

we laughed you made me laugh about the snakes

then you would be in that terrible battle again

a storm would trigger the bomb blast again

you were caught up in and you would be there

sitting on the stairs head in hands and shaky

yet so brave mum would be with you and

you would just smile at me so i was not afraid

very very brave dad

it still upsets me now to think of what you had gone through

I cry as i write this dad and it still goes on now

But this saved your life then you went to Venice

looked after all the italian women who married

English soldiers you learnt the language

and helped get food for the italian people

you went to the opera

you got drunk and fell into the canal

you loved venice

then came home and bumped into all the

italian women again married to their english soldiers

much to mums disdain

but you loved mum

you worked on the land

no office job for you you loved

the outside life

you could ride horses like a dream

knew them inside out

only the outside life for you dad

but you liked art too

always had your constable copy

above the fireplace

mum always bought one for you

Love you forever dad i am always with you

mum

2010-05-29T07:03:00.001-07:00

Mum

These pictures are so you

Clowning in your army uniform

Walking out in temper because

sargeant spoke to you in rude manner

off you go to the RAF join your brothers

only for a luffwafa pilot to try and kill you dead

We go nearly every sunday to look at the sculptures and paintings

at Greenwich museum

you constantly make and draw

you were the artist too mum,

the rebel who fought the corner

you taught me to rise above

go to a higher level of thinking you said

when another was cruel

stand your ground too you said

dont follow the group if you beleive in what you do

thats made me the rebel too mum just like you

I love what you gave to me mum

To create, to think for myself and to defy whats wrong

your sense of fun and humour was priceless

and we laughed until we cried

Love you forever mum

I am always with you

Creation

2010-04-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

Beautiful babies how i love you

Blonde curls and big brown eyes

Little arms outstreched

waiting to be hugged

I stumbled upon your photo

Both now grown up

and children of your own

But i still like looking at your baby

pictures and treasure what was mine

Beautiful babies all grown up now

An Orchestra of Strings

2010-04-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

An Orchestra of strings

Venue The Crypt Gallery St Pancras Church private view 3rd November open to public 4-24 November

Artists

Jonathan Waller
Hedy Esmail
Anwyl Cooper Willis
Polly Cruse
Fiona hughes
Clare Stanhope
Dave Eldergill
Sarah Rose Allen
Jane Tudge
Valentina Gomez
Otto Alexis Schade Lopez
Kathy Taylor
Carl Gent
Lisa Bird
Anne Lydiat
Marco Russo di Chiara
Teresa Mills (Curator)

An Orchestra of Strings

2009-11-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

Looking for new artists for new exhibition "An Orchestra of Strings"

A Gothic Story ( workshops)

2008-12-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

The images are of some of the workof Willowfield Specialist Humanities school pupils. Jonathan Waller fellow artist presented the workshops at Willowfield school. Jonathan gave an initial lecture on aspects around the ideas of Gothic to inspire the pupils who then went on to produce their own posters.

Greenwich Museum

2008-11-08T05:42:00.001-08:00

I went to Greenwich Museum with my mother many Sundays and i realised what an influence this had on my work . We would quite often walk there from Kidbrooke where i grew up and go to look at the paintings and sculptures. I used to be very influenced by the large paintings that were held there including the one where Hardy kissed Nelson goodbye as he lay dying. I liked to walk where this picture was taken of me through and past all the huge columns and go into i think what was called Queen Annes house where the winding staircase which was supposed to haunted was. It was fascinating to me as a small child to go to this museum as it had an intensity that attracted and also frightened me.

A Gothic Story (2)

2008-11-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

I am now working on A Gothic Story (2) negotiating a new venue and funding and with mostly the same artists from A Gothic story there maybe two or more new artists coming into the show. I am now working on new work in my studio no image is avaliable yet but i am posting this image of my sculpture called "Love" the work around this story will be very site specific and around whats happening in my life at the moment

I am also always working on my geanaology and after much research on my huguenot ancestors i am now working on my scottish family and Clan Donnchadh (Robertson) whom my family descend from. The history of the clan is fascinating so further work may come from this research. Also i have found out my 11th x grt grandparents Pierre Bouttemy and Suzanne Bouvart were the founders of Freidrichsdorf in Germany.

Battle of the Somme

2008-11-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

Wonder what you would have been great uncle frank,
How your family mourned
second boy
amongst all the sisters,
My grandmothers face would freeze in sorrow at the mention of your name
and i would feel her pain.
I saw your photo handsome man boy were you
and then you were dead
I think of and remember you too Great uncle frank.

For Frank Pearce who died at the battle of the somme 21st March 1918

White Castle

2008-09-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

I dedicate my sculpture White Castle and the room it was shown in at my exhibition a Gothic Story to the little boy in my school photograph who stands near me. The sculpture is muted by loss and talks to the photo on the other wall which is a photo of small childs grave by David Yates.

Poetry and Huguenots

2008-09-06T11:47:00.001-07:00

The Moonlit Sea

Slowly, the waves caressed the moonlit pebbles,
On the southern shore of our land.
Slowly, silently, the gleam of a searching boat sailed across the long horizon.
The silver sphere of the moon shone down on a dark hull of a rested boat,
Moored on a cool-summer beach.
Secretly,
The shinning stars spilled down their light on the blue-lustre sea.
Dawn then stole over that darkened sea,
Bringing light, over mystery. Teresa Mills aged 14 years

I wanted to print this poem, i found an old school magazine and remembered my poetry had been published in it and when i read it again i realised those influences of light in my visual work and was really excited to find this poem i had written at 14 years of age. I wished i could remember the name of my english tutor at this time as she was one of the most influential tutors i ever had, she lifted you to great heights with your work and i do remember working my best ever with her, i can remember her visually tiny little lady with dark hair that kind of curled up at the bottom she reminded me of a little shrew a character out of beatrix potter, she certainly was an exceptional tutor and i would never have dreamt of misbehaving in her class.

I cannot help thinking of my french huguenot ancestors also with this poem and their escape from france.

Studio Work

2008-09-05T01:41:00.000-07:00

I am back in my studio now working on my arch.

"Splash"

2008-09-03T04:21:00.000-07:00

This is the large film projection and sound from my solo show "Splash".
The horse continually charges through water at you are never quite sure if charging toward you or running away. The sound is of the feotal heartbeat.
The feotal heartbeat was used in the sound as the galloping horse reminded me of how it feels being in labor in childbirth this continual pounding of labour pain.

"Splash"

2008-09-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

These sculptures and large film projection are from my first solo show splash which was held at Stoke Newington West Reservoir 2003. Around the time these pieces were made i was studying Buddhism with Buddhist monks. Each week there would be a meditation evening and the monk would tell a profound story from the animal kingdom which would reflect on the human world. The polar bear film i made with from the rushes doug allen kindly gave me was of a beautiful polar bear swimming in the water, then comes out only to slaughter a baby seal. This depicted the beauty and cruelty of life.
The sculpture has now changed as i felt a bit of tutor meddling and the film stands on its own the dish has been re polished and is now used completely different way. I cannot say i am a Buddhist but i enjoyed learning about Buddhism and mediation.

The discourse

2008-09-03T04:10:00.000-07:00

I love ballet in fact would have also liked to have been a ballet dancer hence a lot of my sculptures include ballet shoes and film.
This sculpture is a pair of ballet shoes connected with incredibly long satin ribbon which is used to tie the shoes. The film is of the rehearsals for Romeo and Juliette the English National Ballet kindly allowed me to film for a short while whilst they were rehearsing. The ballet shoes discourse with the film, the film trying to show the ballet shoes how to dance and how to interact in relationships. Obviously the sculpture is about love relationships how difficult they can be to find and achieve . This sculpture was made around 1999.

Picadilly Circus

2008-08-31T16:34:00.001-07:00

This is a photo of a piece of text (Profane Love touches us all) I had shown in the advertising screen in Piccadilly Circus around October 1997. I think the text is my attempt at trying to sound a bit shakespearian.
I am tyding up my archive of work and came accross this image I like the movement of light in the colours.

The Arch

2008-08-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have more work to do on this sculpture i had not seen it constructed totally as my studio is too small to put it together. Seeing it in the gallery space made me realise i have more work to do on it and i hope my exhibition will be shown in another space with more added work on the theme of the gothic. I also need a bigger studio but of course that is hard without the funding for it.

Rise above it all

2008-08-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

I love this sculpture as small child if i were ever upset about anything my mother would say to me rise to a higher level go to a higher level in your mind rise above it all. On reflection i thought this a beautiful thing she taught me and something she used to deal with her own anxieties and depression and i think its a wonderful tribute to her intelligent, thoughtful and strong mind.

"Untitled"

2008-07-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

image of my sculpture the stainless steel dish i am pleased with the effects of the coloured fibre optics and how they work in completely dark space.

"Untitled"

2008-07-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is my stainless steel sculpture in the dark and in the light. I was thinking of my french huguenot grandfathers when i completed this sculpture as they had been silk weavers and also worked in stainless steel.

Bed of Roses

2008-07-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

My bed of Roses i love this sculpture as i can change it constantly depending on my mood. Mostly i thread tutu net through the middle and the colours change with my mood i added closed red roses for this exhibition as it seemed right for the story it has a sense of new beginnings an optimism of new love not yet found.

White Castle

2008-07-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

The small white castle is a childs toy with gothic turrets the sculpture is wrapped in invisible thread. The small castle talks to the photograph on the opposite wall called 'For erica' and is a photograph by david yates another artist in my exhibition. The photo is of a small childs grave. The small castle is muted by the experience.

'White Castle' Teresa Mills

A Gothic Story

2008-07-31T07:44:00.000-07:00

" Men who wear Masks"

This sculpture started the idea off for my exhibition A Gothic Story.
The exhibition was really well received with great acclaim from both the public and fellow artists. The private view was very busy and overflowing with people. This sculpture is about one of things that frighten me the most when you can love and trust someone then they do something that can completely turn your life upside down, they can become unpredictable what you thought you knew was not there as an example perhaps the person you love has an affair behind your back or a lost love. The arch represents how it can make you feel depressed an area thats hard to go into yet we must as we will be blocked and my other arch is open it has gone through the block and is in the room where things become lighter and more optimistic.

Huguenot Ancestors

2008-04-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

Information found on my ancestors

Surname: Lesurf

Recorded in several forms including: Du Serf, Lecerf, Le Serf, Leserf, and Lesurf, this unusual surname is of French origins. In Britain where a number of the nameholders settled in the 18th century, it is one of the famous Huguenot refugee surnames. These people who were famed in France for their skills in the manufacture of such diverse products as silk making, embroidery, jewelry and steel, fell foul of King Louis X1V, the Sun King, (1643 - 1715), one of the most bigoted religious zealots which the Christian church has managed to produce. He revoked the famous Edict of Nantes in 1685, which gave a measure of religious freedom to protestants, forcing them to either flee the country or adopt the Catholic faith. Most left, many coming to both London and Northern Ireland, where they re-established themselves, and at the sametime they gave Britain a lead in many areas of manufacture, which it held for nearly two centuries. The origin of the surname is open to conjecture. On the face of it the surname describes one who was 'a serf'. That is to say a person with no rights, but people with no rights were not granted coats of arms, and 'arms' were granted to nameholders in the former province of Dauphine, in France. These have the blazon of Azure, a bend argent, between six besants Or. Early examples of the surname recording include: Abraham Le Serf, the son of Isaac and Elizabeth, formerly Boutry, at the French Huguenot church, Threadneedle Street, in the city of London, on January 31st 1688, Daniel and Caterine Le Cerf, witnesses at the same church on April 25th 1714, and Ann, the daughter of William and Jemimah Lesurf, christened at St leonards church, Shoredith, on February 18th 1722.

A Gothic Story

2008-04-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

"When one black block disntegrates into pieces they then turn into beautiful white rabbits"

Influnced by my own emotive thoughts and feelings of loss,fear of loss and love and research on my french huguneot and english silk weaver ancestry. I decided to pull an exhibition together around this theme i opened the idea wider to allow other aritsts to come in. The following artists come together to tell a gothic story in experimental sculpture, film, photography and sound.

Michael Turner and gloria John, Jonathan Waller, David Yates, Wayne Chisnall, Oscar Murillo, Karen Neill, Suzanne Hobbs, Elisabeth S Clark, Hedy Esmail,Naheed Raza, Katherine Skeldon and Teresa Mills.

Private View 6-8.30 25th june
open to public 26th june - 6th july 1-6pm

Harriet Harriss Art and Architecture historian will present a talk to the public Thursday 3rd July

Heather Niven is designing the catalogue and private view card
We will present workshops with William Patten School.

latest news

2008-03-19T06:06:00.001-07:00

"Chattering Rabbits"

Good news i have obtained funding for the exhibition i am setting up ' A Gothic Story' which will happen late june early july at Shoreditch Town Hall in the basement. The artists are Michael Turner and Gloria John, Jonathan Waller, David Yates, Wayne Chisnall, Oscar Murillo, Karen Neill, Naheed Raza, Elisabeth S Clark, Hedy Esmail, Katherine Skeldon, Suzanne Hobbs and Myself as artist and curator.

Artist and Curator

2008-02-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

I went to university as a mature student first to West thames college where i did an an access course and a portfolio prep course, also various courses at City lit and Mary ward centre including life sculpture .I completed and Access course at West Thames College and I then went to to Sir John Cass to complete an art foundation, then onto University of Westminster to take a degree in Mixed Media Arts. Since then i have been exhibiting and curating my own exhibitions and i am now working on my fourth exhibition 'A Gothic Story' , influenced by stories from my ancestry of french huguenot silk weavers and english silk weavers and my own emotive feelings. I have pulled together a group of artists who project a sense of some of these emotions and a wider view of the issues around humanity generally.

I would like to thank my sponsors who have kindly given materials to me which has allowed me to make a lot of my work . Artists have always had this tradition of sponsorship right back to renaissance times and without that support life would be even harder than it is for most artists.

"Fear" part one of The Lily pads ballet shoes,invisible thread, wood base.

Two little love creations

2008-02-23T12:45:00.001-08:00

My two children andrew and clare summer of 1974

Mothering

Soft little tufts of hair
Little hands touch an go
quiet gasps of joy overflow
Little body close to mine
Contented eyes start to close
Sleep sweet baby and i will sing a lullaby

piccadilly circus

2008-02-23T11:33:00.001-08:00

My own text up at piccadilly circus

"profane love touches us all" my attempt at trying to be shakesperian in the words i used.

Films

2008-02-23T07:40:00.001-08:00

In 1997 Doug Allen film camerman for the david attenborough series on natural world kindly gave me a copy of his rushes on the film he made on the polar bear in the arctic. He kindly gave his permission for me to take some frames from the film to make my own for my exhibition The sublime, i put mahlers adegiato onto the sound and its around 10mins long. Its about how beautiful life can be one minute then the savagery and cruelty that can happen in a moment.

In 1998 the English National Ballet kindly let me film their rehearsals for Romeo and Juliette and i made a short film for my exhibition ' Love religion and Explosives' shown in 1999.

I made a film called ' The Hug' for my exhibition 'Love warmth and Waterlilies' 2004. I asked all the people i knew at the time if they would hug each other so there were lovers, parents and children, friends it followed on from a performance piece i did outside Whitchapel Gallery asking people if they would just hug me.

I am grateful to all the people who have kindly sponsored me in these projects and also the people who loaned me a camera without i would not have been able to film and still look for sponsorship for a film camera.

Awards

2008-02-21T07:18:00.000-08:00

"Gothica" drawing 2007

Group awards as Artist and Curator
Texaco award for The Sublime exhibition 1998
John Jarrold Trust for "Love Religion and Explosives: 1999
Norwich City Council " " " "
Norfolk County Council " " "
Awards For all for "Love warmth and waterlilies" 2002

Solo Awards

Millennium Award Champions for change for "Splash" solo show 2003
Renaisi stamford hill award " "
Awards for all for outside sculpture "Tree Bear" and workshops 2004

Missing outside sculpture

2008-02-20T12:46:00.001-08:00

This was my first outside sculpture called "Tree Bear" it hung high in a tree in mile end park and i wanted it to grow into the trunk of the tree over time. In 2007 last year when there was a strong wind the tree was blown down and the sculpture went missing.

links

2008-02-20T12:06:00.000-08:00

"Love" part three of the Lily pads

Website www.teresamills.com
Email teddygalore@hotmail.com
Associate member of Royal Society of British Sculptors
www.the-arthouse.org
member of london biennale
member of new work network
member of DACS design and artists copyright society
Founder of Artram arts organisation
Workplacements at university with Antony Gormley and late Helen Chadwick
Met Elizabeth Frink when a 1st year junior at kidbrooke Primary school where she was finishing a sculpture in the school grounds and my tutor sent me out to meet her so she could see my sculpture.

Exhibitions

2008-02-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

" Politics pays back" Kowalksy Gallery Great Sutton Street 2007-2008
"Nothing wrong in choosing happiness" UEL Docklands 2006
"Issues of identity" Art house hants 2004
"Legwork" Arthouse Hants 2004
"Love warmth and waterlilies" 2004 Mile end Park Artist and Curator
"Splash" solo show West Reservoir Stoke Newington 2003
"Annual open" Royal society of British Sculptors 2003
"New world contemporary order" Brixton art gallery 2002
"Love religion and explosives" St Margarets Norwich Artist and Curator 1999
"The sublime" Axiom Cheltenham Artist and Curator 1998
"Airtight" Mall Galleries 1996
"Selected boiled works" 1994 London student radio

Teresa Mills ARBS

Love and Red Roses

Love and Red Roses

Circles of Red Roses

The first feelings

Now you are here

The cream rose on the bed

The Chandelier

The Orchids

Wreath 2

"The Bed"

An Orchestra of Strings

"The Orchids"

White Fluffy Rabbit Siren

An Orchestra of Strings

Discovery of future love

An Orchestra of Strings

Dad

mum

Creation

An Orchestra of Strings

An Orchestra of Strings

A Gothic Story ( workshops)

Greenwich Museum

A Gothic Story (2)

Battle of the Somme

White Castle

Archive

Poetry and Huguenots

Studio Work

"Splash"

"Splash"

The discourse

Picadilly Circus

The Arch

Rise above it all

"Untitled"

"Untitled"

Bed of Roses

White Castle

A Gothic Story

Huguenot Ancestors

Information found on my ancestors

Surname: Lesurf

A Gothic Story

latest news

Artist and Curator

Two little love creations

piccadilly circus

Films

Awards

Missing outside sculpture

links

Exhibitions