terry furry

Biography

My family's business is cutting down trees. Tumbling down giant Douglas Firs, blasting away at serene landscapes, and leaving behind barren hillsides is what put food on our table. Being a lumberman and being good at Sports were the skills most valued in my family; skills I never desired to master. My childhood refuge was seeking solitude and creating art. I would frequently hide from visiting relatives locking myself away to draw. My mother was newspaper woman, so there was never a shortage of "end rolls" to draw on. I also found the pristine white cardboard  inserts from her nylon hose packaging an excellent canvas.

As I grew up, my family gradually gave up hopes that I would continue in the lumber business, or become a famous baseball player, or whatever path they had determined they'd be proud to see me walk. My responsibilities among the lumber crews lessened to fire prevention detail, I abandoned a potential sports career, and I instead held true to my passion: making art.

But as it so often is with families, you look back decades later from a life you thought you had successfully fled, only to see you never quite left it. I enjoyed a successful career in the newspaper industry just as my mother had, and I find myself still inspired creatively by those newspaper rolls and nylon hose packaging of my preteen years.