Theresa Luck-Akinwale was born in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. She started her elementary education at St. Peter’s and completed it at St. Mathias Schools, Lafiaji, Lagos after which she attended Our Lady of Apostles School, Yaba, before proceeding to Nazareth Teacher’s Training College, Ibonwon, Epe, Lagos state, where she studied Fine Arts.
She took correspondence courses and a tuition course in Commercial Art from Bennett College, Sheffield, obtaining a Diploma Certificate in Commercial Art in 1958. She furthered her education at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in London, where she studied until 1961. She was then admitted to the City and Guilds of London Art School, on Kennington Park Road, London, from 1961-1964, where she obtained her City and Guilds Diploma in Fine Art in 1964.

She was an art teacher for two years at Sacred Heart Secondary School, Hitchin, Hertfordshire from 1964-1966. She produced book illustrations for Thomas Nelson Publishers and the University of London Press. Nelson, the educational book publishers, also commissioned her to produce six illustrations for their serial book for African schools entitled Horned Animals Only by Forbes Stuart.
A talented portraitist, she painted portraits of the late President John F. Kennedy, of Millie Small, a popular Jamaican singer, and Queen Elizabeth II. She also painted other public figures such as Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, General Yakubu Gowon, Obafemi Awolowo, General Olusegun Obasanjo and Alhaji Shehu Shagari. Others include Adesoji Aderemi, Oba Okunade Sijuade Olubushe II and the Ooni of Ife. She has also painted several famous contemporary Nigerian visual artists.

T. Luck-Akinwale has executed many private and public commissions both in Nigeria and Britain. Her art works are full of contrasts, ranging from portraiture to abstract. She primarily uses pencil, pen, charcoal, oil and pastel for the execution of her portrait works. Among these media, pastel and charcoal are her favourites.
She held several exhibitions of her art works, both solo and group, before returning to Nigeria in 1977. For example, she exhibited in 1965 at her own gallery in Regent Street, London; in 1968 at the African Centre, Covent Garden, London; at the same venue in 1972; at the Tate Central Library, Brixton in August 1973 – her fourth solo exhibition; at Brixton Library, London, also in 1973; and at Streatham Library, London in 1974. Upon her return to Nigeria, she became Principal Instructor in Fine Art at the Polytechnic Ibadan in the 1970s, and served as a guest artist at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile-Ife in May 1981. She had several solo exhibitions in Nigeria between 1977 and 1996.