Patricia Phelps Ter Heun

1925 - 2015

Patricia (Sabrina) Phelps Ter Heun Patricia was born in Paris on June 30, 1925. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dewitt Ter Heun of New York City. She was a noted painter in the 1940's and 1950's in the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. Patricia grew up in Laguna Beach, California. After graduation from High School, she joined the Navy and served as a Nurse in World War II. After the War, she moved to New York and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and then Columbia University with a Masters in Fine Arts and a Teaching Credential. Her love of art took her to Fontainebleau outside of Paris where she continued her studies. While in Paris she studied with Fernand Leger and spent many evenings enjoying the company of fellow artists such as Constantin Brancusi and others, in the Paris cafes. Returning to the United States, she settled into Greenwich Village, New York and continued to paint along with her friends and contemporaries such as Robert Summerville, Jackson Pollock, Hans Hoffman, Robert Motherwell and the rest of the New York School. She had a studio at Sag Harbor, Long Island and later at Falmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, where she was an early exhibitor of the New York School. In 1960, Patricia moved to San Francisco, California to accept a position as Dean of Women of the San Francisco Art Institute. Later she divided her time between San Francisco and Bolinas and later settled in Mill Valley. She continued to paint and teach. Patricia is survived by her daughter Patricia Ter Heun of Sausalito, three grand children, Teresa Rios, Jose Rios and Victoria Rios, and her brother Harrison Ter Heun of Scottsdale, Arizona. Patricia's life was always an appreciation of the beauty in the world around her which was reflected in her work. Patricia was greatly loved by family and dear friends and will be greatly missed. The Memorial Service will be held on November 28, 2015 at her daughter's home in Sausalito, CA at 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers donations made be made to: Highfield Hall (508) 495-1878 www.highfieldhalland gardens.org