Home > About

Meet Digital Artist and Graphic Designer, Teresa Cowley

Specializing in creating captivating digital collages, abstract art pieces, and surface patterns. I also design unique wearable art.

A creative portrait of digital artist and graphic designer Teresa Cowley
Digital artist and graphic designer Teresa Cowley. Fun fact: my favourite colour is purple.

Hey there! I’m Teresa Cowley, a visually impaired (legally but not completely blind) graphic designer and digital artist from beautiful Victoria, BC. I’m all about graphic design and digital art – they’re my biggest passions in life. Honestly, I live and breathe this stuff! Okay, technically it’s not air, but you get the idea. There’s nothing more satisfying to me than sitting back after hours of work and admiring something that started from a mere idea, but has now developed into a full-fledged masterpiece.

From self-taught techniques to informal mentorship, I’ve come a long way! Now, I’m even winning awards for my work – how cool is that? You can read more about my awards and what they were for at the bottom of the page. Who knows where creativity will take me next, and what exciting opportunities lie ahead?

How Did I Get My Start in Digital Art and Graphic Design?

Arrow pattern designed by Teresa Cowley
A simple arrow pattern I made in the process of redesigning my "about" page.

So, let me take you back to the beginning. In 2001, I started designing posters for my local community center with the guidance of a former staff member who had a background in graphic design. This was my first introduction to what goes into good design, and it was truly fascinating. Around the same time, I also started getting into digital art.

Over the years, I honed my skills on the software I had available to me, but it wasn’t until 2011 that I got my hands on a copy of Photoshop. From there, the sky was the limit! Photoshop gave me the creative control and freedom to design and “art” the way I saw things in my mind’s eye. Now, I use a variety of different software and mobile apps to create elements for my designs, including AI machine learning.

Designing the News! Hillside Quadra News, That is

The cover of a 2013 issue of Hillside Quadra Community News displayed in a neighbourhood newspaper drop box.
The cover of a 2013 issue of Hillside Quadra Community News displayed in a neighbourhood newspaper drop box. I did the layout on it.

In 2005, I took on the layout and design of the Hillside-Quadra News, a small community newspaper published through Quadra Village Community Center (the same place where I got my start!). I managed to find our online editions on SlideShare! Unfortunately, as more people turned to the internet and social media for their news and community content, print media became harder and harder to produce. So, in 2017, we made the difficult decision to stop the presses for good.

Digital Art and Graphic Design Awards Now?!

The International Prize Donatello event held at the Borghese Palace in Florence, Italy. Photo Provided by the organizers.
The International Prize Donatello event held at the Borghese Palace in Florence, Italy. Photo Provided by the organizers. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the event, but I'm grateful to have received the award nontheless.

Now, let’s talk about my awards! I’m so proud to have won these accolades for my digital art and graphic design work. Each year, the Muse Creative Awards has a different panel of jurors with unique experience and backgrounds. Many of the participants come from impressive backgrounds themselves, so it’s a real honour to be counted among some of the best in the industry. 2022 was another big year as I won the International Prize Donatello award. I’m incredibly humbled and grateful when I think about where I started and how far I’ve come. 

Stay tuned for the juicy details below on each of my awards – I promise, they’re worth the read!

All My Social Media
From the Blog