About the Artist - Trisha (Teffeteller) Selgrath I always knew I wanted to do something creative as a career. For my Fine Arts Degree, I concentrated on Advertising so I could combine many of my skills. Design, illustration, photography, writing, computer graphics and business are all part of a good Art Director's portfolio and I loved them all.
While still attending college, I met my future husband, Randy, at the Houston airport. Now, that’s a story. We were married about a year after I graduated from the University of North Texas in 1986. I traded in my unusual maiden name, Teffeteller, for another one, Selgrath. Recently, we celebrated the twenty-second anniversary.
I freelanced in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX area for several years which allowed me to work on a wide variety of accounts. I would do art direction, illustration, storyboarding, copywriting, conceptualization, package design, point-of-purchase design, pre-press, PR and much more. Even after moving to Atlanta, GA area, I continued to freelance before joining an agency. Finally, after years of climbing the ranks in advertising, I reached my goal of becoming a Creative Director. I enjoyed coming up with concepts and meeting with clients, but I still loved to get my hands dirty designing projects. I spent more time delegating and less time doing design and illustration.
By my early 30's, I decided to freelance again carving out time to paint and start a family. I'm so glad that I did because my children are such precious gifts that add greater purpose to every area of my life.
Dawn - oil on canvas
In 1997, while pregnant with my first, I was painting a large mural on his bedroom wall when the idea for Imaginative Murals was born. People loved the mural and wanted one of their own, but I didn’t want to be gone painting in people’s homes leaving my infant behind. So I combined all my experience with printing and my love of painting to create inexpensive prints of murals that look better than the real thing. I painted the murals in my home studio while the baby slept and Randy called on stores to sell them on the idea. Launching a business and starting a family at the same time is not easy but it has afforded us both more time with our children while we ride the entreprenurial roller coaster. We were the first on the market selling die-cut, trompe l’oeil style murals and quickly gained international distribution through retailers, decorators, catalogs, TV shopping networks and the internet. I used my backgound in advertising, marketing and public relations to spread the word.
When I turned 40, I longed to add deeper meaning to my work. I guess I’ve always been a philosopher and wanted to share some observations I’ve made during my journey. While
continuing to work on the Imaginative Murals and the Focal Point Murals lines, I began to
pray for guidance. I tried to reserve quiet time and leave my mind open. During one of these meditations, my mind was filled with motivational words and their meanings. They were action
verbs of how to create a more meaningful life and the meanings weren’t like those in the
dictionary but more akin to poetic verse.
Soon, I had pages of them - almost 200 uplifting definitions. I knew from that first moment
of inspiration that these messages were meant to be shared. So far, I have illustrated over 54 of
them using a colorful, expressive style that enhances their uplifting messages. I have had so
much fun! I created abstracts depicting people devoid of external embellishments while
focusing on their spiritual essence.
QUOTE DESIGNS By Name . . . achieve
admire
aspire
believe
happy birthday
birthday girl
breathe
care
celebrate
cherish
comfort
congrats
courage
dance
determination
dream
embrace
encourage
expect
faith
friend
fulfill
giggle
gratitude
grow
hope
hug
image
Jesus
journey
knowledge
laugh
lead live
love
motivate
nurture
open
open
party
patience
persevere
pray
question
rejoice
smile
thanks
transform
triumph
united
victory
wish
xpress
you
zeal
Hope -
unwavering expectation
sustained by the spirit
In addition to murals and inspirational gifts, I have been developing fine art paintings focusing on landscapes and portraits. As a family, we love the outdoors and travel to many National Parks. Often, I am awestruck by the diversity and beauty that surrounds us. You can see what I have been doing by going to the Gallery of Original Paintings tab on the menu.
I have truly loved every phase of my career
and always look forward to new creative opportunities.
Perpetuate the positive!
