Pauline Teller

Pauline Ivancovich Teller Passed away peacefully at her home in Greenbrae on June 7, 2011. Pauline was born in Kentfield in 1914 and attended Ross and St. Anselm's schools before graduating high school at Dominican in San Rafael. Initially interested in becoming a doctor, she found that she preferred art to science, and was encouraged to pursue her interests by the head of the art department at Marin Junior College. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts from Dominican College before moving on to the California School of Fine Arts. She later studied at the Carmel Art Institute as well. Pauline was invited to join the Marin Society of Artists and was introduced to fellow member Jose Moya del Pino. When he was commissioned to create murals for the Hall of Religion at the Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) in 1939, Pauline was among the Marin artists asked to participate. She was invited to work at the GGIE again in 1940, this time participating in Art in Action, where she created redwood relief carvings in an area known as "the pit." She also exhibited early paintings in California Art Today at the GGIE's Fine Arts Building. Through her exposure at the GGIE, Pauline was invited to have her first solo show at the San Francisco Art Museum in 1941. As a member of the museum, as well as the San Francisco Society of Women Artists, she continued to exhibit in their shows from the late 1930's on. In 1976 Pauline designed the redwood plaque representing the Town of Ross among other Marin County cities and towns as part of the Bicentennial County Fair. It remains part of a permanent display at the Civic Center Auditorium in San Rafael. Over the years, Pauline exhibited with the San Francisco Art Association, the San Francisco Society of Women Artists, the Marin Society of Artists, the Terra Linda Art Association, the Society of Western Artists, the Marin County and California State Fairs, and various galleries in California and New Mexico. She had solo shows at the San Francisco Museum of Art, Dominican College, the Marin Civic Center and the Museum at Mission San Juan Capistrano. She was also a charter member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. Her works can be found in the permanent collections at Dominican University, the California State Museum, Stanford University Hospital and many private collections. In her final show, she was the featured artist in a commemoration of the GGIE's Art in Action at City College of San Francisco in 2008. Apart from her interest in art, Pauline enjoyed traveling, with Santa Fe and Santa Barbara being among her favorite places to visit, and watching sports, particularly the Giants. Her door was always open to visits from family and friends. Pauline married Frederic Teller in 1941. They raised their four children in Ross and later moved to Larkspur. Frederic passed away in 2002 after 60 years of marriage. Pauline's sisters, Mary Catherine, Eugenia and Nadine, precede her in death. She is survived by her children, Joan Coda (Jim) and Rick Teller (Carol) of Novato, Anne Teller of Mill Valley and Peter Teller (Sandy) of Billings, Montana, ten grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. Pauline's independent spirit, her directness, her faith, and her devotion to her family will be greatly missed. A Rosary will be held at 7:00 PM on Sunday, June 12, 2011 at Keaton's in San Rafael, and a Memorial Mass will be celebrated at St. Anselm's Church in Ross at 10:00 AM on Monday, June 13th. Burial will be private. Donations may be made to Hospice by the Bay or the St. Anthony's Foundation of San Francisco.

Arrangements under the direction of Keaton's Mortuary, San Rafael, CA.