I’m an emerging artist painting contemporary Symbolist and Surrealist pieces in tempera and oil. My process involves a mix of palimpsest layering where previous layers subtly shine through, discovering figures through pareidolia, and circular or spiral compositions.
I gravitate towards the mystical, the ambivalent, and the mysterious. I draw influence from worldwide literature, mythology, haunted US history, Symbolist, and 1930s art movements.
I’m interested in today’s strange splintered, yet global feeling, world. In my work, I juxtapose symbols and figures to evoke modern-day anxieties, inequalities, and absurdities or capture the resulting isolation. I like to experiment with different ways of seeing, such as parallax, nonsensical or multiple perspectives, or “temporal coded” third limbs to push this alienation further.
Currently, I’m surrendering to my love of circles, looking to explore the weight in negative space, and continuing to build my own symbology.
Currently based in Portland, Oregon. Originally from San Antonio/Austin, Texas.
MA in English Literature and Culture – University of Birmingham, UK
Double Major BA English and History – Texas State University
Recent exhibitions:
- From Vermont with Love – SEABA Center (2026)
- The Human Instinct – T.W. Wood Museum (2025)
- Birds and Myth – The Vermont Bird Museum (2025)
- The Current Members Show – The Current (2025)
- Garden of Curiosities – Art Hop (2025)
- Members Show – S.P.A.C.E. (2025)
- Total Eclipse of the Art – The Vaults (2024)
Upcoming:
- Work included in a Netflix production
When I’m not painting or doing your general surviving in the modern world, I’m petting a cat, writing or reading, playing a new indie videogame, travelling, attempting to go outside more, or listening to new music.
Have a project idea or just want to say hi? Reach me at daratheodora.tp@gmail.com or follow me on Instagram or Pixelfed.