Works from an artist in training

Terry Redlin’s artistic talent and passion became visible at an early age. Now, visitors of the Redlin Art Center can get a glimpse of the budding artist. From childhood drawings to college art projects, our Early Art Room features a variety of styles and mediums not seen in his later works. Palette knife paintings, foil etchings, watercolors, and ink sketches are all on display—just to name a few. Come and learn about these interesting styles and how they are made. One notable piece is a freehand drawing of Bugs Bunny from 1943—back when Terry was just 6 years old. “People would accuse me of tracing the figures,” said Terry. “To prove this was not the case, I would redraw the figure either larger or smaller than the original. At this young age, I somehow had the ability to draw proportionally.” In 2005, the Redlin Art Center acquired a drawing of a Cocker Spaniel. In college, Terry gave it to his art instructor, Cecil “Cec” Johnson, as a gift during his first year at the St. Paul School of Associated Arts. Cec wanted the dog drawing to reside among Terry’s other works. Cec’s nephew, Mark, shared his uncle’s comments when he returned the drawing to Terry:
“This dog drawing was the first assignment that my Uncle gave his art class. The students were to do a simple drawing…[so he could] assess the ability and potential of the students in class. Cec’s first reaction to the drawing was, ‘There is nothing I can teach this kid about drawing. He has more talent than any student I have ever taught or will ever teach.’”
Learn more about Terry and his early life. Artists of all ages can draw inspiration from these early works by Terry Redlin. See for yourself how one young artist honed his skills to become a famous painter. After all, you could be the next up-and-coming artist.

Gallery location

The Early Art Room is in a small, quiet corner on the main floor. You can also view the location by downloading our gallery map.