Who is Dick Termes?

Dick Termes is an internationally acclaimed artist who's work has been recognized from San Francisco to Paris, France, from New York to Japan and his one of a kind spherical paintings have been published in books all over the world. Recently, Termes' piece titled "The Big Bang" was featured on the cover of France's publication of Une Belle Histoire du Temps which means A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking.

Unlike any other painter; Termes paints on spheres which, when completed, are known as Termespheres®. Each Termesphere® is a revolving three-dimensional space/time exploration of an entirely closed universe, meaning that what you see, rotating in front of you, is one complete world or environment.
Visit the Gallery to experience Termespheres® for yourself.

Visiting the Termesphere® Gallery

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What people are saying about the Termesphere® Gallery

5 star ratingIf I could give this more stars I would. Just so worth the short drive off the beaten path. If you are not familiar with Dick Termes work, make a point of doing so. I saw his sphere hanging in the saloon in Deadwood, and immediately became entranced by his work. He brings to life in a 3D way the 6 point perspective. Obvious influences from MC Escher and Daly. He's amazing. This geodome gallery is filled with spinning spheres of work and brings such inspiration.
Cindy C. Avatar
Cindy C.
8/02/2018
positive review We couldn't have been more impressed with the art and hospitality at Termesphere Gallery. Markie was kind enough to answer our every question, and shared many moving stories behind the making of different pieces. And Dick took time to come up from his studio to chat with us! A wonderful visit at our new favorite stop in the Black Hills. We could've spent all day there and still marvelled over new things in the spheres. This place gets all the stars. Don't miss it. And don't forget to adopt a turtle while you're there!
Heather DuBois Bourenane Avatar
Heather DuBois Bourenane
8/30/2018
5 star ratingWow! Art at its most intriguing! The Termesphere Gallery is a visual feast. The gallery is small, tucked away among spruce and oak along the Maitland Road near Spearfish, South Dakota, but it's an experience not to be missed. Dick Termes creates spherical artworks, revolving three-dimensional art that often tells a story. You'll find yourself staring in awe at the many spheres hanging in the small gallery, puzzling over the images. Take your time! (Termespheres are offered for sale, but simply a visit to the Gallery is worth every minute.)
1215Ellen Avatar
1215Ellen
8/19/2018

So, What is a Termesphere®?

What you are seeing when you look at a Termesphere® painting is an optical illusion. An inside-out view of the total physical world around you on the outside surface of a hanging and rotating sphere. If you were on the inside of this sphere, this painted image around you would seem normal, but it is read from the outside. From any point when you look at the spherical paintings, the image reads correctly. Termespheres® capture the up, down and all around visual world from one revolving point in space. Most of the time these spheres are painted on the outside so it takes a six point perspective system to keep all of this environment around you organized.

Dick Termes has been painting spherical paintings since 1968 when he received his Masters Degree in Art from the University of Wyoming. He continued his pursuit with his thesis on the Termesphere® at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles where he received his Masters in Fine Arts.

What is 6 Point Perspective?

The basic rules of traditionally defined perspective were formulated in the fifteenth century in Italy by Piero della Francesca, Leon Battista Alberti and others. In the fifteenth century view, if the horizon around you was imagined as 360 degrees, two point perspective drawings and paintings held 90 degrees of the visual world. In other words, their paintings could capture everything between the North point on the horizon to the East point. Termes has expanded this discovery of perspective in order to capture more and more of the visual world. With six point perspective, drawings and paintings reveal a total view encompassing the full 360 degrees in all directions.

Learn more about 1-6 point perspective here