Finishing is the Beginning for Dynamic Artist

by Gretchen Cain Wells

Your whole house or place of business is her canvas. Bay Area artist Terri Freund has an appreciation for blank walls and ceilings, as they offer an opportunity for a total transformation from nothingness to something impressive.

“A little faux paint can open up a new world,” said Freund, downplaying the great detail in her designs, influenced by Europe, Persia, the ocean, or a client’s own imaginings. There is nothing more exciting to Freund than when a client sees the bigger picture and enlists her to change the ambience of their digs.

Freund is a master at creating illusion. She has painted curtains on the walls around windows to keep a room airy, and solid doors as ornate glass doors to ease congestion. Murals of vineyards, marinas, and gardens are custom-designed to “give every room a view,” and Freund can match marble, tile and paint to pre-existing materials, saving time and money.

Freund’s projects can be completed in a few days, or as long as six months. All the while, she is in her creative and very happy zone. Freund feels she doesn’t just enhance the person’s environment; a room make-over can shift one’s attitude. “And that’s truly an exciting and rewarding concept,” she said.

Freund typically paints for her client during the day, and goes home at night to paint for herself. “That is my relaxation,” explains Freund, who said it is imperative to have “me time” for her own self-expression. Freund’s work often infiltrates her dreams. “I get some of my best inspiration at night, and when I awake in the morning, I’m refreshed and productive,” she said.

Freund does not recall ever having a creative blockage. “If anything, I have a hard time turning off the flow of ideas.” Freund, who is a religious person, said the ability to envision and make improvements to anything with a paintable surface, including floors and furniture, is God-given, but theorizes she could have “inherited” her talent from her parents, also artists.

“There are a lot of right-brained people in my family,” said Freund, including her siblings, Todd Freund, whose medium is boat canvases, and Kelly Davis, who paints lettering on boats. The connection to boats can be explained by learning Freund’s father took the children sailing regularly while they were growing up.

“I developed an appreciation for the ocean and its inhabitants (hence the name of her business: Dolphin Art) and a continual urge to set loose and travel,” said Freund.

In addition to returning to the Middle East, where Freund lived with her family of origin for three years, someday she plans to travel to Paris and Rome to see firsthand the architecture and landscape that is the inspiration for much of her work, especially marbling and three-dimensional trompe l’oeil. Freund also wants to visit “the Holy Land” attraction in Orlando to receive more ideas for a series of Biblical murals she is painting for Beaming Hope Church on Tyrone Blvd.

The experience to leave what is safe and familiar in order to explore new territories gave Freund the courage to relocate from Winter Haven, Florida, where she was reared, to St. Petersburg in 1982, and to open her own business. Freund said the responsibilities and anxieties of running a business are a trade-off for being her own boss. She also can choose with whom she works, most often Linda Rose, a fellow graduate of Sarasota School of Faux and Architectural Finishes.

Interior Designer Clara Crane often collaborates with Freund on decorating projects. “I find her work is incredible and very appropriate for discerning and high-end clients,” said Crane. “Terri offers great value for the work she does, and it is amazing just to watch it take shape.” Additionally, “Terri is dependable, meets deadlines, has awesome ideas, and doesn’t let ego get in the way of what a client wants. She is completely humble,” said Crane.

Indeed, Freund finds it difficult to talk about her impressive resume, which includes tenure at Disney World’s Epcot. Freund believes her work speaks for itself and can be found online at www.dolphinarttampabay.com, or experienced firsthand at Tropicana Field or The Venue club at 2675 Ulmerton Rd. in Clearwater (look for spectacular garden with vistas murals). The work is done freehand, without the use of stencils, said Freund.

Another location at which to see Freund’s work is the gallery at Heriz Persian Rugs in St. Armands Circle, Sarasota, and the Ringling School of Art, of which Freund is a graduate. In order to transport her work, and for the benefit of the client, Freund often chooses to paint murals on canvas flats (as is done with set designs in the theatre) rather than walls. The murals later can be “changed out” for a fresh creation. This isn’t always practical in every situation, especially in painting murals on exterior structures such as the Tropicana dome.

Craig Champagne, premiere clubs manager for the Rays, greatly admires Freund’s talent and said she was selected by a committee in 2007 to make “the Trop” a more “fan-friendly location.” As part of the renovation, “We partnered-up on the concept for two baseball murals at Gate 1 (going up the walkway and in the rotunda), to give a positive initial impression and welcome in the new team. We have had many compliments over the years and kids, especially, really enjoy the effort,” he said.

Her art aside for a minute, Freund is willing to talk about her love of children (she has two daughters) and considers herself a “young soul.” In her spare time, Freund teaches art to youths and hopes to foster a protégé. “My advice to creative types is to go toward your dreams and don’t get discouraged. Art can involve real sacrifice, but if you are genuinely doing what you love, your life is your art,” she said.