Yerington’s Tedra Espiritu – Colored Pencil Artist

August 3, 2025 From Photojournalist Richard Massey

One of the things I love most about being a photojournalist is that it allows me to meet so many interesting and talented individuals. I’m constantly reminded of what a diverse group of amazing people we have in our little community.

One such person is Tedra Espiritu. I was recently introduced to her and her outstanding colored pencil art when I was picking up some prints from Justin at Eagle Ship and Print. He told me, “You should see what I’m working on.” It was a print order for generic greeting cards created by local artist, Tedra Espiritu. The images were stunning and featured a wide variety of different subjects, ranging from hot rods and local street scenes to quaint forest cottages and seasonal topics.

I was quite impressed with her work and wanted to meet her. I recently had the pleasure of spending a morning with her. It was such a delight seeing her original pieces and hearing her fascinating story.

Prior to moving to Yerington, eleven years ago, she lived in Reno. Her son lives in Reno and she wanted me to let everyone know how proud she is of her granddaughter, Samantha Wolley, for being voted the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of her Galena High School softball team.

Tedra and her husband Frank share an interest in art, and frequently have quality time together just visiting and coloring across the table from each other. Prior to the Covid outbreak, art was more of a hobby. During Covid, she started taking things a bit more seriously and devoted all that down-time to developing her art skills.

As a young girl growing up in rural Tennessee, she had the usual school art projects but that was the extent of her art training. Drawing inspiration from numerous artists, she set out to follow her childhood passion of creating colored pencil art. One artist whose work she most admires is Thomas Kinkade. His influence is apparent in many of her scenes of rustic cabins nestled in colorful forest settings.

I just placed an order for a pack of six generic cards. As might be expected, all cards come with envelopes. I like the idea that I’ll be able to use the cards for about any occasion by just writing in the appropriate words. If you prefer cards with a printed message you can select from several different options (see photo).

Although Tedra’s main product is cards, she also does individual larger pieces and can even create a custom packet that includes a photo of your item (car, home, pet, etc.), a fine art print, as well as an accompanying card/cards. While most of her pieces are inspired by existing images from her extensive reference materials, she does take on commissioned assignments.

During our interview she was working on a set of images for the owner of a local food-truck. In the picture at her desk, you can see that she is making the final touches to the red truck.

One of her favorite images is, “The Stairway to Heaven.” In this beautiful piece she has captured an iridescent appearance with shafts of light descending from the sky. It has an almost 3D effect. When appropriate, she loves to include trees, plants, and colorful flowers in her pictures. This may explain why she has an entire pencil box devoted exclusively to dozens of different shades of green.

When asked what her future art plans are, she replied, “My dream is to one day be able to convert my garage into an art studio so I will have plenty of room and good light.”

So, Dear Readers, join me to help Tedra achieve her dream by supporting her art.

Eagle Ship and Print has recently completed a large order of Tedra Art Cards that will soon be available for sale. At this time, Tedra is taking orders through her email site. In the near future several locations in town will be showcasing her work. Additionally, she is in the process of completing a web site where you can learn more about this artist and place an order.

One reason The Pizen Switch Times exists is to help promote local businesses and to shine light on talented members of our community. If you know of a business or individual you feel we should feature, please let us hear from you.

Contacts: tedraespiritu742@gmail.com

Eagle Ship and Print

512 W. Goldfield Ave.

Yerington NV 89447

(775) 260-5507

store@eagleshipandprint.com