A native of Danville, Clevester Terrell Woods was introduced to art as a child in Pittsylvania county schools. Terrell first realized his gift when, as a first grade student, he was given the assignment to draw one of his favorite cartoon characters. Terrell drew Mickey Mouse from memory. Upon doing so, his teacher was so impressed, she bragged about it to the other teachers and further encouraged Terrell to develop his artistic talents. In high school, his art teacher, Mrs. Janet Robertson, took the time to teach him the fundamentals of art, an education he will forever be grateful for.
Life took a sharp turn, however, upon graduation. Despite his dreams of going on to Art School, Terrell instead married and dedicated himself to life as a husband. When that marriage ended, and for the twenty-seven years that followed, Terrell didn’t create at all. “It was a very dark time for me,” he told us. Those close to him would encourage him to create, but he couldn’t. “There was no drive, no desire.”
And then, in 2016, Terrell saw a movie that resonated with him. The protagonist of the film had been an aspiring artist who had allowed life’s difficulties to interfere with her creativity. She felt a void. And then she discovered painting, and she was reborn. Terrell realized he was an artist in his very soul, and he needed to create to feel alive.
For Terrell, being an artist means using his talent to connect with people. “I meet no strangers,” he says of himself. “I thrive off the emotions my art invokes in people. Seeing the emotions on a person’s face as they stand before his work—the sorrow, the joy, the wonder—inspires him to keep pushing the limits of what he can do. My goal is to light up the world one painting at a time.”
Though he paints many subjects, even abstract, he is mainly a painter of people. “I am in love with the human form,” he says. “Most animals, fish, birds, and plants look alike. A human, on the other hand … the slightest turn of a cheek, and the person looks entirely different from anyone or anything else—even from themselves in another pose.” At the same time, Terrell explained to us, we are all so very alike. “The color palette uses the same colors and not many of them to paint all the shades that make us.” It’s a challenge to paint people and to paint them well. Whole lifetimes are spent mastering the skill, and it is that challenge that drives Terrell.
Upon finding a subject, Terrell takes a moment to envision what the painting will look like, and then what that subject on the canvas might be feeling. He paints from that emotive place, and it is more often than not a happy place. “I cannot paint in chaos,” he told us. “I am a happy painter, and I have to be in a happy place.” His studio is a large part of that, a place that is set up to promote happiness and calm. Painting is a sort of meditation for Terrell, a place where his mind is made clear for the work ahead of him.
For Clevester Terrell Wood, the artistic flame burns bright. After years of darkness, he has promised himself never to extinguish it again. He further hopes to share that light with people all around the world. To that end, he has started teaching classes online. If you’d like to know more about Terrell’s classes, find him on Facebook at Clevester Terrell Woods.
