Fusing world cultures through art

The dark bluish streaks of paint menacingly run from the top of the painting, as if trying to hide clues to a treasure, as we stare at the painting, the mystery it insinuates leaves us wondering what lies beyond the dark and mysterious thicket of colors and random letters?

Visual artist Tere Casas has always had the bold streak in her. For over two decades, she has awed art lovers and critics from around the world with her work of art that over the years has become the melting point of cultures.

“I love how different colors and textures have been used for centuries by cultures around the world. Be it the vibrant reds, pinks, and purples that we find in Indian homes or the calming greys and earthly colors found in an African home, I love bringing these colors and textures together to create a unique piece of art that represents them both,” says Casas, who firmly believes that art can erase borders and boundaries and bring people together.

Tere was born in Mexico City and was only five years old when she made her first painting of a Care Bear that she still carries around. With over two decades of experience as professional visual artists, Tere is among the few women artists who have been able to earn a living through art.

“No one believed that I would actually make it because I was woman,” says the talented artist who has turned her passion into a success story.

Currently based in Austin, Texas, Casas has dramatically changed her style of painting. “After coming to SF, I realized how people of different cultural roots and backgrounds make the city so vibrant, I wanted to showcase these vibes in my paintings and portray the positive impact that migration has had in the American society.”

Fusing culture into art

Over the past decade Tere has exhibited her works not only in Mexico and the United States, her work has also been showcased in renowned art galleries and exhibitions in Europe. “I had met my husband in Spain, where I had exhibited a few of my paintings,” says the talented visual artist who has used her diverse experiences from around the world and incorporated them into her paintings.

She has been so intrigued by different cultures that she even incorporates the colors and patterns that she sees at her friends' places into her art. “You know when you visit someone’s home you find bits and pieces of their culture and traditions embedded in their homes, I generally try to use these experiences in my paintings,” said Tere.

During her time in San Francisco, the talented artist worked closely with the Mexican Consulate and The Mexican Museum in an effort to promote Mexican art and artists in the Bay area, which soon led her into becoming a board member of the museum. Along with the Mexican Museum, she also works with the ‘Bond Latin’ art gallery for the same cause.

Tere’s paintings not only transcend beyond borders, but the intense colors, the unique fusion of traditions, arcs contours, strokes, and letters seem like cryptic clues that bring us closer as people.

“Migration is amazing, it not only brings people together but helps us become more tolerant of each other regardless of where we are from, and this is the message I would like to give through my paintings,” she said.