Terri Stone. Photo by Stephen James
Terri Stone, a prominent member of East Dallas’ art community, passed away July 27 at the age of 60. It wouldn’t be completely accurate to say that East Dallas has ‘lost’ Terri, as pieces of her work can be found in our neighborhood and across Dallas. In the past, she would have her art at the White Rock Lake Artists Studio Tour in October and in October of this year, her work will still be there — family and friends sharing her artistic creations on her behalf.
The people who knew her best use a myriad of words to describe her: outspoken, inherently creative, humorous, artistic but most importantly, authentic. Unique. And of course, sarcastic. She had very different relationships with each of her friends and their groups but she met them all with the same level of authenticity. Terri was unmistakably herself in whatever dynamic she found herself a part of.
Friends say it’s a miracle that pictures of her exist. She hated being in front of the camera. She would rather be the eye capturing the beauty of something or someone. She was a natural observer. Her eyes were different. She had even referred to herself as a “visual problem solver.” Everything she touched could be turned into art. She had the artistic version of the Midas touch. Napkins, plates, random scraps of paper – they were all an opportunity to create art.
While she may not have been known as a writer, she certainly had a way with words. In fact, she would create her own special names for people. The names would be an adjective or maybe even a word that was a nod to some of their distinctive characteristics. These names and the stories that accompanied them would become how her friends would learn about one another. Everyone had a unique story, made for them by Terri. Her capacity for literary creativity showed itself in her lingo. Unique sayings like “Get some up on in ya“ or “Oh my lamb” that would only make sense if she said them.
Terri had earned a long list of titles in her lifetime.
She was an art director at several prominent advertising agencies in Dallas but then ventured into the world of self-employment. Terri didn’t like 9-to-5 living. It would seem her artistic desires began to conflict with such a structured lifestyle. Her choice to become self-employed gave us the public art that’s found itself in parks, fire stations and more across the City.
Her works can also be found in Mesquite and Abilene.
She was a teacher, who worked with adults and children alike, from teaching in Booker T. Washington’s after school program, to teaching welding at the Creative Art Center.
She was a curator for art shows at The Bath House Cultural Center.
But one of her most active titles would seem to be ‘friend’.
She was the kind of friend to call you out of the blue and accidentally start a three-hour conversation. The kind of friend that would sit with you in Dream Cafe and talk about life. The kind of friend to have everyone gather at her house before an event, not exactly to be the life of the party but because she found comfort in her home.
Her home was a sort of art studio. Her work — finished, in-progress or perhaps something undecided — would linger on the walls or in formerly empty spaces or on counter tops. You would inevitably find the occasional cat or dog roaming around too.
She adored animals. The word adore may actually be an understatement. She was known for riding around with her late dog Murphy in her White Volkswagen convertible, almost exclusively driven with its maroon top down.
Terri Stone and Ruby, 2021.
Terri had many pets. But everyone knew about Ruby, her rescue dog that was her closest companion, still with us today.
There was an intensity in how she approached her loved ones and, of course, her art. She would slide on a pair of welding gloves and create magic. Magic like “Catch,” the corten and stainless steel sculpture that can be found at Bark Park Central or “Committed,” the aluminum and cast bronze pieces at Dallas Fire Station 25.
“Committed” pieces at Dallas Fire Station 25 . Photo Courtesy of Terri Stone’s website.
It is impossible to capture the entirety of a human into a few paragraphs, let alone an artist. Perhaps the best way to understand her impact is to take a look around our City and find ‘T. Stone’ somewhere in the credits of her works. In her words, her works “are stories.”
“my works are stories.
some are personal.
some are universal.
the emotional content varies.
most have a humorous slant.
but all are tactile.” – T. Stone
Some of Terri’s public art locations:
Bark Park Central – 2530 Commerce St, Dallas, TX 75226
Dallas Fire Station 59 – 201 N Jim Miller Rd, Dallas, TX 75217
Dallas Fire Station 46 – 331 E Camp Wisdom Rd, Dallas, TX 75241
Dallas Fire Station 25 – 2112 56th St, Dallas, TX 75241
Mesquite Animal Shelter – 1650 Gross Rd, Mesquite, TX 75149
Information sourced from Craig Harper, Matthew Stone, Berry Hawkins, Kathleen Schloth and Margarita Birnbaum.
