Tess studied Textile Design in Nottingham gaining a BA (Hons) in 1991. She taught Art and Design until 1998 when she started painting on a full-time basis using her experiences in Africa and Nepal as inspiration for her work. Tess began to sell her work professionally in the late 1990s working as an Artist-in-Residence in a Manchester gallery, with her work being mainly commissioned by large corporate companies and sold throughout the UK and abroad. Having lived on the edge of Exmoor for much of her life Tess has an innate connection with wild open spaces. Her oil paintings are full of vigour, the brushwork being adorned by the scrapings of the palette knife and scratched to reveal textures that are highly evocative of the seascapes and landscapes she captures. During the artistic process Tess spends time wandering in the environment she loves most, taking photographs, breathing in the sea air, listening to the rustle of the breeze across the beach grass, a feeling of being both lost and found in the immersion of the moment, before returning to the studio to let those sensory experiences find new life on the canvas. This sense of belonging outdoors has always been a part of Tess’ life - before art became her calling - her childhood was on the farm would find her exploring her beloved Exmoor, with happiest moments in nature’s free spaces. This adoration of the outdoors is evident in the energy of her paintings.
