"Painterly realism" is the goal of Terry Masters of Palm Springs, California. Master's first love is outdoor or "Plein air" painting. Landscapes of the desert southwest are a primary focus but "anything with dramatic light is fair game," he states.

Terry Masters studied at the College of the Desert, Palm Desert. He credits his workshops and fellow painters for his current level of accomplishment in oil painting. His workshop instructors have included such noted artists as Ken Auster, Daniel Gerhartz, Jeremy Lipking and Mark Kerkhoff.

Masters is a native Californian, born in Sacramento in 1955. When he was 13, his family relocated to Palm Springs. "Within minutes of their arrival, he fell in love with the desert" (McKig). From childhood, drawing was a major activity for him, and in high school teachers Tom Hamilton and Joyce Villman encouraged his interest. While Masters attending College of the Desert, William Hemmerdinger became a major influence on his artwork.

In 2002 Terry Masters won the 1st place award at the City of Palm Springs Art Competition. In 2003, Masters placed first in the City of Palm Springs juried exhibition. He has participated in the La Quinta Arts Festival, the Desert Plein-Art Competition, and the City of Palm Springs Art Competition. In 1996, he received the Larry Sitter Memorial Award for best desert painting at the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival. He has exhibited at the Phippen Museum in Prescott, AZ.

Masters is an artist member of the California Art Club, the Tucson Plein Air Painters' Society, and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.

Stewart Galleries is the EXCLUSIVE gallery for Terry Masters in the Coachella Valley.