About Artist Terry Masters

About The Artist: Terry masters
(1955 – 2021)

Terrance “Terry” William Masters was a prolific California oil painter who captured the ephemeral beauty of light in a remarkable way. He won many awards for his work and was honored with the distinction of being a Signature Artist of the California Art Club (CAC), one of the oldest and most active art organizations in the country.

“Each painting Terry brought to the gallery gave us goosebumps,” said Crystal Curtis, Director of Jones & Terwilliger Gallery in Palm Desert where Masters’s work was on display. “He turned shapes of mountains and rocks into feelings. Bolts of color that people who love the desert have seen but couldn’t describe to friends.”

Masters moved to Palm Springs from Sacramento at age 12 with his parents and eight siblings due to his mother’s asthma. Growing up in the Coachella Valley instilled in him a deep appreciation for the beauty found in the light of the desert. Spending his youth exploring the desert’s canyons and vistas gave him an in-depth knowledge of the many places that lent themselves to being painted in the manner that he is so well known for.

Terry Masters painting in Andreas Canyon. Photo by Andrew Gillespie.

Masters once said "I always work to raise my ability to portray beautiful light and color on subjects in the most convincing way that I can…. I drive through the same place day after day and all of a sudden, one time, there’s just light on something that’s isolated and looks dramatic. It’s all I’m ever really looking for is just a little bit of drama in the lighting– something to hang your hat on.”

As a youngster, Masters was in awe of paintings by Paul Grimm that were all over Palm Springs. Masters loved to draw as a child and took high school art classes, and he knew in his heart that someday he would take up painting.

Before becoming a full-time painter, Masters worked for 20 years in radio as a production director, station manager, and as on-air personality “Bob Clark'' on KPSI’s Bob and Bill Show. In 1994 at the age of 39, he made a new year’s resolution to begin painting. His interest grew into a deep devotion and he eventually quit radio to pursue his passion for painting full time.

Masters won ribbons at the La Quinta Arts Festival early on, but then said he hit a bit of a “drought.” It was a 1999 workshop with renowned plein air painter Ken Auster that turned Masters onto that style of painting and reinvigorated him as an artist.

Terry Masters painting in the desert in Palm Springs. Photo by Marilyn Chung/ Desert Sun.

Masters went on to win many awards and his artwork can be found in several reference books documenting noted California painters. He was also honored with an invitation to become a Signature Artist of California Art Club, a distinction given to only the most established painters who have been approved for membership by their peers from the ranks of Artist Members. He also co-founded CAC's desert chapter.

In 2013, Masters opened his own gallery studio called Desert Painter Studio Gallery in Downtown Palm Springs. Visitors to the gallery were often greeted by Masters and his beloved cat, Red, who liked to lay in the sunlight by the windows. Masters closed Desert Painter Studio Gallery in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Masters also served as an instructor at Desert Art Center, The Palm Springs Art Museum, and many other workshops in California.

Terry Masters passed away on Christmas morning, December 25, 2021 in Palm Springs at the age of 66 from cardiac failure.

Masters was loved by his community and messages are pouring in on his Instagram from people around the world sharing fond memories and admiration for his work. He was not only appreciated for his artwork and mentoring, but for his warm smile, great sense of humor, gentle nature, and his humility.

“He was an amazing teacher and had this wonderful capacity to lift his students up and feel wonderful and excited about their paintings,” said one of his art students in an Instagram comment. “I will cherish my memories of Terry close to my heart.”

Family and friends say Terry was feeling hopeful about the coming year and was recently exploring more portraiture and works on larger canvases.

“I had just spoken with Terry about what’s cooking in his studio, because we find homes for his work so fast. He was really optimistic about the future,” said Crystal Curtis, Director of Jones & Terwilliger Gallery. “His students and friends visited the gallery regularly, remarking how Terry was painting freely in the last year. He was painting larger, more colorful, and taking bigger risks, they said. We were so excited to see what happened on his canvas next. We are saddened by this loss, a hero in the desert with an uncanny eye.”

In a 2017 video interview published on Palm Springs Life’s website, Masters said “most artists have a message, and my only message is ‘isn't this a beautiful planet.’”

If you are interested in honoring the legacy of Terry Masters, his family has set up the Terry Masters Memorial Fund at the Desert Art Center where Masters served as a long-time faculty member as well as a The Terry Masters Memorial Fund & Scholarship to help students pursuing a Fine Arts degree.

Learn more about Terry Masters in this short video by The Desert Sun for their article titled Terry Masters: Plein Air Painting Beautiful Landscapes.

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