About Terri Fergason Neal, CPSA, CPX

Artist Statement

My inspiration comes from our natural world. I love to draw my subjects realistically, exploring each animal anatomically and trying to capture their essence with layers of color and value. This process feels meditative as I immerse myself in each subject and try to find their personality and individuality. I am currently working on documenting animals that are threatened by climate change and man’s encroachment in their habitat. I like to use my drawings to share the beauty of our natural world and promote conservation.

Technique

All my animal subjects are from my own reference photos. This requires a lot of travelling and hiking. I have traveled to Kenya, Tanzania, Galapagos Islands, Alaska, and our local wildlife refuges in Oregon to photograph my subjects. This has given me a wide range of animals to draw. I use layers of pencil to develop my subject. I occasionally use watercolor, ink, or pastel as a base layer.

Bio

Terri Neal has lived throughout the US and finally settled in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She has a keen interest in animals and the natural world and received a biology degree from Hiram College in Ohio and Arizona State University. Having loved to draw and create from an early age, Terri has explored many mediums, pencils, fibers, ceramics, and metals. Pencils were her first love, and she has begun exploring them again, combining them with watercolor, pastels, and ink. Her realistic style conveys her love of the subject matter and color. Her quest is to find the soul and whimsy in each of her animal subjects.

Terri has received multiple awards for her drawings from Cannon Beach Arts Assoc. Miniature’s show, DC201 Colored Pencil Show, Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts and 2018 Best of Show and Mayors choice award from the juried Beaverton Arts Mix. Terri’s drawings have been selected to be included in the books, Colored Pencil Cats & Dogs and CP Treasures from Ann Kullberg. Her drawings have been juried into the 25th, 27th, 28th and 30th CPSA International Exhibits and the 2020 and 2021 DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year Exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London. Terri is a signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and a signature member of Artists for Conservation. Terri’s art is on permanent display in Beaverton City Hall. One of her pieces was selected by ODFW to be the Conservation Stamp for 2025.

Twenty percent of her art sales go to wildlife conservation.