Theresa Tantawi began her arts education at the age of thirteen in Los Angeles, California where she was born and raised. Theresa was accepted to Barnsdall Jr. Arts Center, an arts school for gifted children after taking some samples of color pencil drawings and a letter of recommendation from her middle school art teacher.

Theresa figured out how to make a living as an artist. The answer was Commercial Art. By this time Theresa had relocated to the San Francisco Bay area, she was now living in the Silicon Valley. After going back to college, Theresa earned her Associate Degree in Graphic Arts. It was during the time when the industry went from traditional methods to digital. That Associate Degree was the key to being hired by local corporations that needed artist who could make use of state of the art digital tools.

In 2006, the high tech companies of Silicon Valley were restructuring for the first time. Many jobs were outsourced; positions had left the country never to return. Theresa became a Freelance Graphic Designer. About this time, Theresa and her husband decided to move to Cairo, Egypt, his native homeland.  It was an adventure and a dream come true for Theresa. She had time to explore antiquities, the ancient wonders of the world in all of Egypt. Theresa also attended art classes at The American University in Cairo.

Currently, Theresa lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. She continues to produce art work with a focus on digital illustration. Her earliest influences have been Maxfield Parrish, Persian and Mogul Indian miniatures, the Pre- Raphaelite artist John Waterhouse. Edmond Dulac, a master of the Golden Age of Illustration known for Symbolist, Orientalist and Art Nouveau influences.