Meet the artist
My name is terry anne Musser
Award-winning artist Terry strives to go above and beyond with not only their art but with himself. From middle school, they have been driven to better their craft and create pieces of art that compel the viewer to read a story without words. With his art, Terry turns a single word into a story; revenge, fear, grief and so, so much more. Throughout high school, he also applied himself to competitions and has won numerous awards to represent not only their school as salutatorian, but himself.
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As of now, Terry is currently attending Southern Utah University as an Art Education major to become an art professor one day and will graduate Spring of 2026. He wishes to pass on his legacy of helping artists find their meaning in art, after realizing that once he found his; his drive for art became stronger than ever. Terry also currently works as a substitute teacher, has a wonderful girlfriend, and orders way too much take-out.
Artist statement
My name is Terry Musser, and I was born an artist. I knew, that from the moment I could hold a crayon, I would always be one. Since I was a child, I've told stories through my art. I drew animals getting attacked, dragons escaping containment, and people with special abilities. This is why I still make art; to tell stories. I find this fascinating because not only has the viewer never heard of the story I am telling, but neither have I. I don't truly know the meaning behind my work until it is fully complete. I may have a goal or an idea of what I wish to create, but as I create a piece, it creates itself.
Before I knew I wanted to make stories, all I knew was that I was good at art. Everyone praised me from friends to school faculty members. This drove me to better my craft. However, at some point, I wasn’t creating. I was just replicating reality; practically copy-and-pasting photos. I stopped making art for some time and was unmotivated to even think about creating until I heard a quote that I still live by today:
"Painting is not about replicating the world, it's about interpreting and improving on it, showing something you see."
This is where the most significant moment of my artistic career occurred. It wasn't me winning awards or meeting my state congressman in a winner's banquet. It was my very first painting. I'd attempted to paint for years, but to no avail; I always gave up. And so one day, I let my soul and body take over. I had a story in mind, a character, a place, a feeling; And it presented me with a picture I couldn't stop reading. I remember falling to my knees when I came off that artistic high. Questioning my own abilities; asking myself if I was the one who made it. I kept racing this high of storytelling and soon enough, I landed in college, with a legacy to teach art students how to find their meaning in why they do art. Because when I found mine, suddenly I had so much drive to create, and I figured out more about myself as a person.
I've always adored telling stories, but then a professor pointed out that I have never told my own. I had never tried to attempt to tell my own story because my story had already been told to me. While the world doesn't know my story, I already do, thus, I have no want to tell it. However, I'm currently learning that by telling my story, and diving into my own memories; I realize and learn new things about myself and my past that I didn't account for before. I hope to not only better my craft, but also better my craft as a storyteller of not only other’s stories but my own as well.