A Lifelong Passion for Art: Theresa Schneveis, Resident Artist
October 25, 2023
As a young girl, Theresa Schneveis, the resort’s resident artist, spent countless hours combing the woods near her home in Medford, Wisconsin in search of twigs, rocks, and seepods. “I grew up very tied to nature,” says Theresa. “I spent a lot of time exploring forests, picking up treasures, and enjoyed learning about how the world we live in works.”
The Kilmarnock, Virginia resident, who went on to major in ceramics at University of Wisconsin-River Falls, found her passion to become an artist at an early age. “From the age of 18 months, I’ve been drawing and doing literally any creative project available to me,” says Theresa. “I’ve always wanted to do this. I feel extremely lucky that I grew up knowing my calling right away. There’s times I wish I was interested in being a doctor or lawyer or something, but in the end I’m glad I went with my heart and not my head.”
Now, Theresa, who teaches art classes such Pottery on The Wheel, Painting and Pinot, and newly launched Watercolor and Mimosa (a watercolor course aboard a river cruise), believes in the importance of fostering individual creativity and making art fun. “One of my major goals here is to show people that art isn’t scary, and it’s not just for people that are ‘good’ at it,” says Theresa. “Unfortunately, I can’t make classically-trained artists of everyone, but in order to do that you need a good base, which is what I like to offer. A good base means being open to create, willing to try new things knowing you’ll fail, having an inquisitive mind. I love teaching classes because I give students permission to play, to experiment, and to be okay making something ugly—because it happens to everyone, even me.”
This winter at the Tides Inn, Theresa will offer a wreath-making course using plants culled by the on-site horticulturist such as Golden Cedar, Virginia Pine, eucalyptus, and holly. She’s also leading a brand new candle-painting class utilizing colored melted wax. “It’s so fun to be able to customize candles for the season,” says Theresa.
In November and December, Theresa hosts a number of family-friendly art workshops the aforementioned Holiday Wreath Making class, a Gingerbread House Workshop, Holiday Card Making and Holiday Ornament Making in which guests create an ornament from clay, paint a pre-made one or utilize local materials, such as oyster shells and crab claws.