Conversations with Terrilynn Moore

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Terrilynn Moore.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born to be an artist. You might wonder how I know this; my parents used to tell me the story of how they knew I was drawn to express myself through art.

When I was five years old and my baby brother, Mark, was just two years old, I used to get into my mother’s cosmetics drawers. I would first spend a few minutes putting on rouge and lipstick on myself; then, I would get my little brother and make up his face. I carefully applied lipstick, rouge, and powder to his round little face. We would then march out into the living room.

My mother giggled, and my father was appalled! “Terrilynn, go wash your face! Dorothy, get that mess off of Mark!” he fumed. We would be hustled into the bathroom and brusquely scrubbed. Our parents would go back to whatever they had been doing, and I would grab my brother’s hand and return to my mother’s makeup bureau to reapply our faces.

After all, when a lady is going out, she must be properly made up.

I did this a total of three times that morning and on the third and final application, my father had had enough of my shenanigans. I received my very first spanking for wanting to express myself through artistry. My brother was spared a swat—because it clearly was not his fault—after all he was only 2 years old.

I received little to no support for my desire to become an artist, actor or dancer from my parents. I graduated from high school at the age of 16 and was admitted to Colorado Women’s College in the January semester of 1975. My mother accompanied me to the admission’s office and when the Registrar asked me what I wanted to study I replied theater. My mother immediately nixed my request and I was shunted into the psychology department.

My miserable grades during my first attempt at college made me drop out. I then had a variety of jobs. I was a makeup artist for a local department store for three years. I left that low-paying job to become a Denver Police Officer for the next ten years.

While on the Denver Police Department, I began showing my art at local restaurants and small galleries. I loved the freedom of expression, but wanted more knowledge about art—the mediums, surfaces, and histories. I enrolled at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design where I was immediately mesmerized by my course in Color Theory—It was life-changing.

I knew right then that I had to dedicate myself to the world of art.

Since that time, I have had dozens of successful art shows. My biggest show, called ‘The Pussy Project,’ was a huge draw in 2004 in the Santa Fe Art District. ‘The Pussy Project: Has Your Mama Posed Yet’ was also successful in 2006.

In 2011, I enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the University of Colorado, Denver. It would prove to be one of the best decisions of my life. I graduated in May of 2017 with my BFA in Painting and Drawing.

Receiving my degree opened doors of opportunity for me. I became a member of the CORE Art Gallery coop in 2018-2019. I had great shows there and made friends with several well-known Denver artists.

I have been featured on several podcasts and invited three times to create art shows for the City Of Aurora, Colorado. In February of this year, I was invited to Boston, Massachusetts, to the WGBH Public Television studio to tell the story of my love affair with Quade Smith, my junior high crush! Quade and I reconnected at our 45th high school reunion in 2019.

We were married on March 20th 2023! The love story will be aired on Valentine’s Day in 2025. Then, two months after our wedding, our first novel, ‘Starla,’ was published by Laurel Elite Books of New Hampshire!

‘Starla’ has 4.3 stars on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble platforms. Starla is available as a hardcover book, an ebook and an audio book for which I did the full reading. There were 17 different characters that I had to create voices for. The entire publishing journey was quite challenging and so well worth it!

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I had to fight to become an artist. I attended Jones International Online University while working full-time in the Registrar’s Office to get my Associate’s Degree in Digital Media in 2010.

Then, when I enrolled in the University of Colorado in 2011 to study art, I still had to work full-time. In 2012, I moved in with my mother—whose mental condition was deteriorating. In 2013, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and I became her caretaker.

Along with my studies, I worked 32 hours per week at Excelsior Youth Center (where I taught art to highly disturbed young women. This was exhausting and perilous work). I had no breaks from violence while caring for my mother. Her Alzheimer’s was the kind where the person experiences violent outbursts. My BFA Thesis show ‘The Alzheimer’s Chronicles’ was based on my experiences of our shared journey through the throes of Alzheimer’s.

I cared for my mother until her death in 2021. I had successfully completed my BFA in 2017. My desire to be an artist has never abated—I am always seeking ways to grow my knowledge and practice.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am most known for creating unique works of art for my friends and clients.

Through a thorough interview process, I find out what a potential client has been dreaming of as a work of art. I have had the pleasure of creating a large religious piece titled “Escalator of Light’ that depicts Jesus descending toward Earth on a beam of light. My friend, Joy, wanted to be turned into a tree, like the mythical character ‘Daphne.’

My use of not only paint, but fabrics, jewelry findings, and objects found in nature often gives my art unusual textures and dimensionality.

I am very proud to have one of my floral paintings on permanent display in the Arapahoe County Extension Office. It has also been a privilege to be requested by the City of Aurora, Colorado, to create shows for them on multiple occasions.

This year’s logo for the 2024 Bioblitz was my creation! The Bioblitz is an annual gathering of nature lovers sponsored by Hanover College in Indiana. I was invited to create a drawing for them that could be used on their printed promotional items as well as a t-shirt! The design has been incredibly successful!

The biggest success of my art career, so far, is the creation of ‘Starla’ our novel, for which I recorded all of the audio book and did all of the book illustrations, including the cover art!

What was your favorite childhood memory?
When I was 15 years old, my parents took my brother and me to 9 European countries! I loved the pastries in Denmark, the art of Italy, and the exquisite beauty of Paris, France.

In Spain, we stayed in a hotel across from a bordello. My brother was 12 years old and very cute. The working women across the street loved him and doffed their tops to his great amusement! I will never forget his laughter and joy at the wondrous sights to which he was treated!

Contact Info:

• Website: Starladragonbook.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrilynn.moore1?mibextid=lQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrilynn-mooreartist/
• Other: www.terrilynnmoore.com

Image Credits
TMooreCasual, Quade B Smith, and TMooreBoston