Teressa Valla is from New England, having lived in the states of Maine and Massachusetts among others, she settled with her family in the state of Vermont.
Here, during her formative years, with seven siblings, she absorbed and developed a regard for the magnificance of the earth and humanities relationship to the elements.
After several decades she continues to transform personal experiences from travel in America, South America, the far East, Eastern Europe, Europe and Mexico into lyrical painting, sculpture and photography.

She graduated from the University of Vermont. And studied visual art in the graduate program at New York University as well as attending the Studio Art School of the Aegean, Greece with notable artists such as Andrew Forge, Bob Beauchamp, and James Lechay. During these years she began to incorporate elemental materials, as symbol and form into her creative process. For example a variety of "pine needles," from the "evergreen," are chosen for their shape as well as " enduring," references.
Living in New York near Central Park, both the urban and natural present tangible "experimental opportunities," found in pods, bamboo, slabs of tar and a variety of coiling substances. Dedicated to creative expression, a combination of paints and chosen matter extend into two and three dimensions. Moved through dance, music nature, faith and experience themes such as joy, the ascending spirit and interrelationships reoccur.

Teressa Valla has received honors and grants for her work, including the Jackson Pollock Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, The Annenberg Foundation, the Ed Foundation and Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. Valla has participated in residency fellowships awards in America and abroad: Fundacion Valpariaiso-Spain, Open Art Residency-Greece, Prague Painters Workshop, Vermont Studio Center, the Santa Fe Art Institute and Chashama-New York. She was also invited to represent America in "Eurosculpture," in Carhaix, France 1994.

Her work has been exhibited internationally and nationally in museums, galleries, alternative spaces and public collections in the USA, Japan, Brazil, Portugal, France, Czech Republic, Germany, England, Hungary, Sweden and Greece. Selective exhibitions include,"Europa," Instituto de Artes Visuais, Palacio Pommel, Lisbon, Portugal; La Mama, NY, NY, Gallery K&S, Berlin, Germany,Maryland Institute College of Art; University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Contemporary Museum, Baltimore Maryland, Exit Artists Space, Atelier Collectivo Pernambuco, Brazil. Her work was shown at the Sato Museum in Tokyo, Japan, in "Considering Peace," an exhibition to benefit UNESCO.

Public collections in which her work is included are The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York (Life of the City Collection), Robert Blackburn Printmaking Studio, Museum of the City of New York, The New York Public Library, The Library of Congress, New England Center for Contemporary Art, Tribes Gallery, Mid-Hudson Arts and Science Cente, Poughkeepsie, New York. Private collections are numerous.

Teressa Valla firmly believes in advocating for the arts through education. As a visiting artist she has taught both teachers and students. Working with notable institutions such as Cooper Union, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Arts Connection, Arts Genesis Annenberg Foundation, and the Mayors Commission for the City of New York.

In 2008 she began to developing her own program called project GLOW. Project GLOW will be developing and implementing community based arts programs for adults and youths in under-served communities in Central America and the Caribbean. Projects directed toward integrating the arts and environmental awareness will manifest through mixed media and murals. Teressa brings experience to these projects having worked as a VISITING ARTIST with the Annenberg Foundation, Carnegie Hall, the Anti-Graffiti Program -City of New York, Santa Fe Art Institute, and Cooper Union to name a few.

Teressa continues to live and work near Central Park, New York. It has been over two decades.