Terry is known for his “functional art,” consisting of painted canvas floor cloths, Venetian plaster panels and mirrors, whimsical children’s furniture and innovative wall treatments.

Terry got his first taste of art when his friend, Terry Regan, needed chemical expertise to refinish furniture for his business at Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco.

At the time, Terry was studying chemistry and other sciences. Regan asked Terry for assistance due to difficulties in figuring out how to keep the patina, a copper- and bronze- colored artificial covering, consistent for big jobs.

“I made sure the solutions and temperatures were properly mixed. It still didn’t work out right and I didn’t solve his problem, but at least I showed him how to properly set the solutions,” said Terry, chuckling.

It has been 20 years since he last picked up Pyrex test tubes in exchange for tubes of paint. Instead of laboratory work, Terry, 49, now paints and plasters in his studio at Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard.

Terry does not know why he made the choice to switch from science to art a decade ago, but explained that “(art) was right in front of me, like the big carrot and stick thing. It’s working for me and I’ve kept working on it.”

Terry received his associate’s degree in electrical mechanical engineering from Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa. He also spent a year at Cal State Hayward before entering SF State to earn a degree in molecular biology in 1980, where he also did his graduate work in marine microbiology.

If Terry were to ever return to science, he said he would go back to school and get his graduate degree.

From conceptualizing designs to putting them into play, Terry applies scientific skills to his work on a daily basis.

“A degree in science helps. There’s math, and making plaster involves understanding a little bit about the changes in calcium oxide, to calcium hydroxide, to calcium carbonate. I also work with pigment, adding them to various substances to make my own paints.”

While starting a piece, certain images appear in his mind. “When I first started painting floor coverings, everything kind of looked like bacteria,” Terry said. “I have these little rods and circles and stuff and it was sort of a playful version of a view through a microscope.”

About six years ago, Terry began working on panels to practice his technique of painting, sanding and putting finishes on surfaces. He hung them on the walls while showcasing his work in his studio. His popularity grew from there as customers began purchasing his work.

”I didn’t go into it thinking they’d sell, but a number of people really liked them. They’re dramatic accent pieces.” Terry now does this finish on nearly every furniture piece in STUDIO, the art gallery in San Francisco that he and his wife, Jennifer Farris, opened in 2003.

According to Farris, she and Terry “wanted a place where we could showcase Rab’s work, (and) the work of other local artists.”

The technique Terry uses on his Venetian panels is apparent at STUDIO. Farris said that Terry plastered the gallery’s walls and that he changes the look several times a year by altering their finish.Terry’s Venetian technique is also apparent in the entrances of certain hotels of the York Hotel Group.

In a STUDIO press release, Deanna Gogol, facilities and events manager for the York Hotel Group, said Terry’s Venetian plaster panels are in the lobbies of three of their boutique hotels in downtown San Francisco.

The panels are unique pieces that help distinguish their properties from one another. The lobbies of the York Hotel, Stratford and Adante Hotel all have different styles. “(W)e love the fact that the work is from a local artist,” said Gogol.

His next show is called “Plastered.” The show runs from Sept. 14 through Oct. 2 at STUDIO, with a demonstration on Venetian panels from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 17.

Terry said his whole life now revolves around art.

He produces art and sells it in his studios, though he enjoys making it more than selling it.

“It’s a lot more rewarding (than science) and it’s the whole reason why I started doing this; to make things and have people buy your things and have them come back years later and say, ‘Oh, I’ve had your mat in my kitchen for seven years. I love it. It still looks great. Thank you so much.’ It’s kind of what you hope work can be sometimes.”