Terry Ross
Over the next few months in this occasional series profiling artist members of the Arivaca Artists’ Coop, we will take the opportunity to introduce several new members of the Coop. This month, meet Terry Ross.
Not only is Ms. Ross a newcomer to the Coop, she is a newcomer to Arivaca, arriving here in April last year. “I didn’t find Arivaca,” she explained, “my friend Dotti Rees found it. Now how she did that is beyond me. Eventually I learned to like it and now I live here! I love the scenery, the peace and quiet, the sense of being in nature not just looking at it. I also have enjoyed the strong sense of community.”
She is not, however, new to exploring – and loving – art. “As long as I can remember I’ve been interested in art. I remember in elementary school, sitting at my desk making "murals" on rolls of paper as long as the paper was, mostly influenced by studying the settling of the West, or more simply put, cowboys and Indians.”
She confesses that her “secret dream was to sit and paint” but after studio art classes in high school and a year of art history in college, she concluded that making a living in art was unlikely and she ended up in law school.
While she enjoys working in different media, claiming not to have a favorite, she has used acrylics the majority of the time, as it “seems to fit my personality style, impatient.“
“I also like anything that involves fibers, including paper, collage, book binding, art journaling,” said Ms. Ross. Visitors to the Coop will see evidence of her diverse talent. There are inventive collage canvases with found objects, vintage religious artifacts, paper and paint; a large, spectacular oil painting of clouds; and beautiful jewelry.
Like many of us in Arivaca, the natural beauty of the area serves as inspiration. “Two things come to mind,” she continued, “nature and being with others who have similar interests. The ever changing skies here in Arivaca have been particularly inspiring. The clouds are just fascinating.”
Born and raised in a small town in southeast Colorado, Ms. Ross has lived in several states on both coasts, as well as New Mexico. “ That experience inspired me to continue my interest in art.” Before relocating to Arivaca she lived in Denver for 40 years.
Since moving here she has achieved her goal to “finally start using some of the things I learned over the years and sit on the patio and paint!” 
