About the Artist

Thea Schrack was raised on a ranch in western Nebraska and her formal photographic studies began at Colorado Mountain College. From there she moved further west where she attended the San Francisco Art Institute continuing studies in photography for a BFA in 1984. She was awarded the New Faces Award in fine art photography from American Photographer Magazine upon graduation.
Her work has been featured in numerous solo and group shows throughout the United States and can be found in many distinguished collections. Her work crosses disciplines including painting, photography and uses both encaustic medium and acrylic paint. Thea has been featured regularly in publications, books published by Chronicle Books and is represented by galleries through out the country. Thea Schrack currently lives and works in San Francisco.

Artist Statement

“Landscape and Memory” - I’m just back from a morning walk and photo shoot at the edge of the Pacific. My mind feels clear, crisp like the air. Today I see nothing but curves. I’m thinking about art, ancient art. Even the Parthenon contained “hidden curves”.
The Parthenon has not a single straight line, “No one is aware that the sense of happiness he feels is caused by curves and bends that are almost imperceptible yet immensely powerful......” Paul Valery, French poet 1871-1945
The road to my lifelong art practice started in a Chevy truck, a blond child watching rows and fields blur together into one big picture in motion and color. That feeling of awe has never left me when working in the natural world. When you catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of your eye, it leaves you in a state of wonder and grace you never forget.
In the summer of 2019, the family lake house was sold. I loved that sweet lake, along with other places I’ve spent time in, like the badlands, rivers, mountains and endless fields of wheat. All this natural beauty I carry with me needed to get out, not by photography alone, but with paint. For 6 months I painted 250 linear feet of Osnaburg, which is like a light weight canvas. I painted 24,12 foot sections, rolled them up, learned a lot then never looked at them again until now. This revisitation felt like time flowing backwards as I started to capture them with my camera. These pictures turned into a further distillation of that spark, that glimpse and chance encounter once again. My path to creativity is never a straight line.
Now I leave it up to you, dream and imagine your own voyage.