Terry Lawrence (Born 1952) was born in St Louis, MO. He was raised in a military family and lived both in the states and abroad in what for many years was an unpredictable and uprooted existence. Lawrence liked to draw and this became the companion that sustained him and accompanied him, and also set the stage for what was to follow – his career. He attended Louisville School of Art and moved to New York City in 1978. While in New York, he attended the School of Visual Arts. Lawrence began his relationship with fire as an artistic medium in the eighties. He was so fascinated by flame and also by smoke - its by-product - which could be used for marking surfaces. Fire is linked to ancient tribal ceremonies, and his work process is without doubt connected to that history and power.
Lawrence found the power and mystery of fire exceedingly forceful, and loved the challenge of both the need for control, and the instantaneous lack of restrictions he experienced with it as a medium. His major influences are few but significant and working with fire became an elemental communion, an organic process of creating art from something alive. The artist sees fire as part of nature, and the universal flow of energy surrounding humans. He has held a strong presence in art scene in Brooklyn, with several shows including those at Brooklyn’s Borough Hall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Ramnarine Gallery, among others. Lawrence was co-curator and co-director of two Brooklyn shows with Anders Knutsson, his fellow artist.
