Heading up the NEAS committee, Tess is the kind of energetic leader who not only has a clear vision for the future of our community gallery, but has the practical know-how and drive to see her goals through to fruition. Her fellow committee members praise her strengths as a leader and also as an excellent teacher of art. Tess’s popular workshops have enabled many to build confidence and refine their own skills.

Asked to describe her own art practice, Tess said, ‘With an art practice that spans over 40 years, my current focus is figurative landscape painting which showcases the beauty of our natural environment. This takes me back to the beginning of why I picked up a paintbrush in the first place. My inspiration comes from a love of nature – our amazing landscape, national parks, gardens and flowers and in particular trees.’  

Growing up with a high school art teacher as a mother meant that exploring art around the kitchen table was the norm in Tess’s childhood. In her teens she travelled the world looking at art, in her twenties she studied painting, in her thirties she discovered pastels and art as therapy and in her forties she found the art of mosaics where she could incorporate the use of recycled materials.  

Tess describes her approach to mosaics, ‘I find the art of creating mosaics from the recycled bits and pieces of our modern lives particularly satisfying.  We need never cry over a broken vase or plate again. The works are tactile and colourful, containing the hidden secrets of each item. And the limit of using found materials means that unexpected choices become part of the work.’ 

More recently Tess has returned her focus to painting once again and has come full circle. Depicting the dance of light and form found in nature, she hopes that by representing the burnt trees after the tragedy of fire, the regenerative regrowth, the walking in ancient forests left for us to explore where waterfalls nourish and vistas inspire, her art will remind viewers of the importance of our natural heritage for a long time to come. 

And how does art contribute to Tess’s sense of wellbeing? ‘Creating art soothes my soul and allows me time deep in a space where I let go of the everyday world to focus on a process that absorbs my whole self for a while.’ In sharing her talent and skills Tess also shares this state of well- being for others to enjoy, just as they enjoy friendships built in the growing community of artists that Tess is nurturing in and around Armidale.