Theresa started winning awards for her artistic talent as a child, learning at the knee of her late father, a highly successful graphic artist and businessman. She has been the featured artist at the Georgia Art Educators Association Capitol Art School in Atlanta. Her work has also been exhibited in numerous local exhibitions, guilds and shows.
Theresa received her bachelor of Science in Art Education from the University of Georgia and her masters from Piedmont College. She has also studied at the Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD). Her work was featured on the cover of SCAD’s 2008 Art Educators Forum catalog and the NAEA magazine.
Theresa has been a popular, award-winning teacher for 23 years and is currently Visual Arts Team Leader at Wesleyan Christian School in Norcross, GA, after serving for more than a decade previously as Fine Arts Chair at George Walton Academy in Monroe, GA. Her joy was in helping to create an enthusiasm for art in her students and her unflagging support to her family and friends. She was a founding board member and cheerleader for American Epiphany and tirelessly contributed her talent to further its goals.
Theresa well-known locally for her murals and has had numerous business and residential commissions. She has studied under Arne Westerman, Tony Couch, Luca Gasperi, Cindy Male and spent her 2005 summer studying portraiture under Margaret Carter Baumgaertner.
Theresa also owned her own business, Art Expressions, Inc. for several years.
Theresa died peacefully at home on February 23, 2016 after a three 1/2 year battle with ovarian cancer.
She was married to the late Richard Mays and is survived by second husband Jack Albanese, Sr. , three children and five grandchildren.