August 7, 2016

Adorable Mix

This is a portrait I did last spring of a daschunde / pit bull mix. Another small oil portrait on 8" x 10". But what a cute mix!



If you would like to see more similar portraits please visit my instagram or twitter @tessaguze or to commissioning a painting of your pet please email me at tessaguze@gmail.com or for more general information about my art please visit my painting website

August 6, 2016

Sassy Poodle Portrait

Portrait of Lucy the tiny but very sassy and nonchalant poodle! I painting this portrait a couple months ago for her owners. It's oil on a small 8" x 10"canvas.



If you would like to see more similar portraits please visit my instagram or twitter @tessaguze or to commissioning a painting of your pet please email me at tessaguze@gmail.com or for more general information please visit my painting website

February 25, 2014

Small... But Not Restricted

Tessa Guzé, Fearless, 12" x 16" 2013
The Galleries at Moore are currently having an exhibition of alumni work titled Small... but Not Restricted. The Galleries at Moore are located on the campus of Moore College of Art & Design in center city Philadelphia, PA. I submitted this small oil painting titled Fearless.
 
Photo of Small...But Not Restricted Annual Alumni Exhibition 2014
This is one of the first oil paintings I completed after the birth of my daughter. (Besides a children's book commission that was due a month after she was born and barely got finished in time!) It was of course inspired by her, though not a portrait. At six weeks her first bashful and cheeky smiles were already lighting up the room. However time to paint is still something I have to steal during her naps. 

I did the underdrawing for this while she was napping in my left arm, and I did the painting during a second 45 minute nap the next day. Having this kind of time pressure is definitely freeing up my painting and allowing me to be looser and more painterly! Here is a photo of the inspiration itself. 

THE INSPIRATION!
Four months later and still my greatest source of inspiration, don't think this is going to change any time soon.



To see more of my paintings please visit my portfolio website.



December 9, 2013

Art Working to Affect Lives

Tessa Guzé, Help, oil on canvas, 2013
This past week, Gungdabang (궁다방) Gallery in Gwangju, South Korea located on Art Street, held an exhibition to fundraise for charity. 100% of the proceeds were donated. Half went to a school for underprivileged children in Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro Direct, and the Red Cross to aid those affected by the hurricane in the Philippines.
Tessa Guzé, The Pyre, oil on canvas, 2013
As a contributing artist I donated several hand drawn holiday hards and some cuttings from a children's book I illustrated this past year. You can see several of these paintings above and below. The show will be open through December 22nd, 2013.

Tessa Guzé, Benevolence, oil on canvas, 2013

May 31, 2013

Art Elemento Article

Tessa Guze, Art Elemento Magazine page

My work was featured in the May edition of Art Elemento an arts magazine based in Gwangju, South Korea. To view the entire Art Elemento magazine click here

Here is a copy of the text that accompanied the article with images of the magazine pages:

I am a painter, and like any artist I paint because I have to. I can’t imagine not doing it -  a big part of me needs to paint for some reason. Every professional artist is asked to come up with the reasons why they paint what they paint. Everyone wants the background story. They want a personal connection and a better understanding of the artwork.

  As an artist it is important to know and understand yourself really well in order to be able to give these explanations. The simple, and possibly most truthful answer, “I just felt compelled to paint that,” is not enough to satisfy galleries and keep your patrons engaged and interested. So artists come up with artist’s statements. This is where the more creatively you are able to express yourself in words, the luckier you are. Unfortunately, not all of us are good writers and not all of us are good at making up these explanations.

Tessa Guze, Art Elemento Magazine spread 1
  It can be extremely difficult to reach deep inside yourself and figure out what exactly motivated you to create a particular artwork.  This is where usually truthful artists just give it their best guess, while other more “creative” artists find a good story to match their art. I don’t have a good story (at least not one I’m willing to share with professionals in my field), but I will give my best stab at a truthful explanation of my paintings.

  This is difficult. My paintings are pretty straightforward, and I do have justification for why I paint naturalistically when most galleries shun representational work. Here is the reason: I want my work to communicate and engage as broad a range of people as possible, not only an educated elite who are willing to read tedious artist’s statements to find out why the art is relevant and interesting.  To be honest, while realism is something I like about my work and other representational and naturalistic work, I also paint realistically because I truly love it. I find the naturalistic work fascinating. As fun as playing with abstract colors and shapes might be it will never engage me the way the expression on the face of someone I love does.

  Many fine artists like to focus on their “inner world” and the perspective it gives them as an inspiration and rationale for their art.  However, my inspiration is always drawn from exterior subjects, people or animals,  - their emotions, their situations, and their perspectives. It is always drawn from the outer world,  the world of sight and sound. The world of other people and creatures who can capture my interest, imagination and sympathy.

  A beautiful view or flower can strike me, but when I sit down to paint it is the people that pull me in. If left entirely to my own devices with no painting commissions or portfolios to build, I would probably paint only people and animals, portraits of random people whom no one else cares about or notices.

Tessa Guze, Art Elemento Magazine spread 2
  I love to live in different countries and experience the culture and daily life there, but it took me a long time to realize “travel” was something I was particularly interested in.  It’s not really the new places, but more the people, culture, values, and perspectives that intrigue me. So traveling and sightseeing was never something I found especially interesting, I mean no more than any other young person. When I was young I just gravitated to people from different countries without really noticing it or understanding why.

  When I was a child I always had to be standing up for someone, protecting and defending. I’m not really sure why but I’ve always been drawn to the underdog, the downtrodden and the undervalued, the misunderstood and rejected. I always had to play devil’s advocate. I used to spend recess at school protecting insects from getting stomped on and getting into occasional fist fights or yelling matches with anyone who picked on my friends. I have no idea where this fire came from because when I got home and was alone I would just quietly draw. I honestly wish more of that fight had stuck with my as I grew older.

  Unfortunately, now 99% of the time I find it much easier to be passive and agreeable and only speak up with a contrary opinion when with very close friends. However, I do still love to be quiet and alone drawing and I hope that I still take some of the fight with me into my paintings. People who are different from ourselves can be so easily misunderstood, dismissed, or worse, especially if their differences are seen as strange or threatening.  So I use my fire now in the hope that my work can help people from different worlds seem more accessible to one another, and to show how much of life they actually share.


If you are interested in seeing more of my work please visit my fine arts blog or art portfolio website.

May 9, 2013

Art Elemento Cover

Tessa Guze, Art Elemento Cover, 2013
I provided a write up about my work for May's issue of Art Elemento an art and culture magazine based in Gwangju, South Korea. I'm so excited that they chose my piece to be featured on the cover.

I haven't seen May's full issue yet or the article about my work but hopefully I'll get my hands on a copy soon and share pictures.

Here's a photo of the original painting, which was featured in solo exhibition of my oil paintings last summer.

Tessa Guze, Thoughtful, oil on canvas, 2012
If you are interested in seeing more of my paintings and illustrations please visit my full painting portfolio on my website or my other painting blog.

March 14, 2013

Singing Camels


This is a painting I did for a (no name) Art Group exhibition celebrating Earth day.
Tessa Guzé, Camel, oil and charcoal on canvas, 8" x 12",  2013
The opening for this fundraiser will be held on Saturday, April 20th. From 12 PM to 8 PM at B Square Gallery in Philadelphia.

The beneficiary of our fundraiser is Charity: Water.



 It cost Charity: Water $20 to provide a person with water for life. This is the price of one of are water bottles with our choice of the artist pieces to insert into your new water bottle and have as the water bottle design. 


Tessa Guze, Water Bottle Mock Up, 
Charity: Water is an amazing charity. They are a non profit organization that provides clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries, places where other wise the people have to walk long distances to find dirty water or contaminated water. Charity: Water that puts 100% of donations directly towards their projects.


Tessa Guzé, Water, 12" x 24", 2010

 If you would like to see more of my paintings please visit my painting portfolio website or my other blog for fine arts painting

February 21, 2013

Sketchbook Project Pages


Tessa Guzé, Sketchbook, Oil on canvas, 2013

Here are some more pages from my 2012/2013 sketchbook. 

Tessa Guzé, Sketchbook, Oil on canvas, 2013
This sketchbook is part of the Sketchbook Project created by the Art House Co-op. My sketchbook's serial number is #S97404 and call number is 195.8-3. As part of the sketchbook project my book will first tour galleries and venues though the US then become part of the collection at the Brooklyn Art Library. 


January 29, 2013

The Sketchbook Project

This year I submitted a sketchbook to the Sketchbook Project created by the Art House Co-op. My books serial number is #S97404 and call number is 195.8-3. As part of the sketchbook project my book will first tour galleries and venues though the US then become part of the collection at the Brooklyn Art Library. 
Tessa Guzé, Sketchbook Spread 1, 2012
My sketchbook is a combination of oil and pencil sketches.

November 7, 2012

The Art of Giving Reception

Tessa Guzé, 2012 Wine Label In Context



The (no name) Art Grout is having a reception for their wine label fundraiser The Art of Giving. It is on November 11th, 3-7pm at Encore Lounge, 112 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. For more details click here.

This is the (no name) art group's 3rd annual Art of Giving wine label exhibit and fundraiser. The beneficiary of this fundraiser is Philabundance, a charity that is fighting hunger and malnutrition in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley area.

Tessa Guzé, Celebrate 2012 Wine Label, Oil on canvas,
40 artists have participated, each creating a different label on the same theme, "Inspiration: The Love of Place". My painting is titled "Celebrate" and is inspired by the Dogon festivals in Mali. The Dogon people have various festivals were the men dress up in costumes and masks. They take place at varying intervals some only once every 12 years and the purpose is the binding of the spiritual world to the living world. During the Dama festivals the men go into caves and mourn the deaths that have occurred over the past 12 years and carve their masks. They then don the masks and dance for five days. These masks now have the power to drive away evil spirites. To see the link to my wine label please click here.


You can see all 40 wine labels by visiting the (no name) art group's website


To see more of my work please visit my painting portfolio website or my fine arts blog. Thank you!

October 3, 2012

The Art of Giving, 2012 Wine Label Fundraiser



This is a painting is did for the (no name) art group's 3rd annual Art of Giving wine label exhibit and fundraiser. The beneficiary of this fundraiser is Philabundance, a charity that is fighting hunger and malnutrition in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley area.
Tessa Guzé, Celebrate 2012 Wine Label, Oil on canvas,
40 artists have participated, each creating a different label on the same theme, "Inspiration: The Love of Place". My painting is titled "Celebrate" and is inspired by the Dogon festivals in Mali. The Dogon people have various festivals were the men dress up in costumes and masks. They take place at varying intervals some only once every 12 years and the purpose is the binding of the spiritual world to the living world. During the Dama festivals the men go into caves and mourn the deaths that have occurred over the past 12 years and carve their masks. Then they don the masks and dance for five days. These masks now have the power to drive away evil spirites. To see the link to my wine label please click here.
Tessa Guzé, 2012 Wine Label In Context


Here are a few examples of other artists wine labels. 
E Bond, 2012 Wine Label
E Bond, a Moore Alum, designer and professor at Moore College of Art and Design.
Linda Mehnert, 2012 Wine Label
 A beautiful piece by Linda Mehnert.


Christina Hess, 2012 Wine Label
 Christina Hess, a professional illustrator and a former professor of mine at Moore College of Art & Design.
Deborah Larkin, 2012 Wine Label
Deborah Larkin, designer and another former professor of mine at Moore.

To see all 40 wine labels please visit the (no name) art group's website. You can purchase bottles of wine here with your choice of wine label. There is only a small window to make your purchases and a limited amount of wine so please make any purchases before Oct. 7th. 

For anyone living in the Philadelphia area there is going to be an reception on November 11th, 3-7pm at Encore Lounge, 112 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. For more details click here

To see more similar work please visit my painting portfolio website or my fine arts blog. Thank you!

August 28, 2012

Blue Sari - painting process

Tessa Guzé, Blue Sari 2012, 16"x20"

This is a painting of a young girl from Mumbai wearing a blue sari. This painting is currently on display at the Durham Arts Council. 

I took a few photos as I worked on this painting to show my painting process. 

I started by toning the canvas with a thin layer of blue oil paint because I knew I wanted this painting to have blue undertones. 

toned canvas
After the canvas was toned and dried I drew a rough charcoal sketch on the canvas. I like to do a sketch in charcoal instead of an underpainting because it is quicker, but it still helps to map out the painting and determine values.

charcoal sketch
After the sketch was completed I sprayed it with workable fixative, this stops the charcoal from running and muddying the oil paint. Then I did the painting in oil paint, using turpentine and linseed oil.

Finished painting

If you would like to see more of my work please visit my painting portfolio or my fine art blog.

Kiva - make a $25 loan for free!


Tessa Guzé, My Umbrella 2012, oil on canvas
Kiva, an organization that allows people to make loans to people in need throughout the world, is having a promotional offer. Give a loan for free for a limited time. Follow this link and help someone at no expense to yourself. It only takes a couple of minutes and you could really help to chance someone's life for the better. http://www.kiva.org/invitedby/tessa9363

August 17, 2012

Ceremony

Ceremony, Tessa Guzé, oil on canvas, 2012
In Korea Buddha’s birthday is celebrated with Lotus Lantern festivals and the apprenticeship of young monks. One of the ceremonies is marking the child’s arm with burning incense.

This painting is currently on display in an exhibition at the Durham Arts Council in NC. It is part of a solo show of my work called "Beginners Mind: Painting with an Open Heart".

If you are interested in see more of my work please visit my artists portfolio website or my fine arts paintings blog.

August 8, 2012

Sheepdog Paintings

Tessa Guzé, Noble Sheepdog 2012, Oil on canvas, 16"x20",

Tessa Guzé, Working Dog 2012, Oil on canvas, 16"x 20"

These are two paintings of a sheepdog I did for the Meeker Sheepdog exhibition that runs from Sept. 5-Sept. 9th. It is an art auctions and fundraiser for the Meeker Sheepdog trails in Meeker, CO.

If you are interested in seeing more of my work please visit my pet portrait portfolio website or my pet painting blog.

August 1, 2012

Beginners Mind: Painting with an Open Heart


Local Artist with a Global Perspective
Tessa Guzé, Painting featured in Painting with an Open Heart Exhibit, 2012
An exhibition of oil paintings by emerging artist, and Durham native, Tessa Guzé, will open at the Durham Arts Council on July 31. Entitled Beginner’s Mind: Painting with an Open Heart the show consists of 25 paintings portraying people from a wide range of countries and cultures, all presented in a way that address the themes of diversity, adversity, and humanity. Ms. Guzé’s objective is to communicate with as wide a range of people as possible, reaching across differences in culture, age, personality and knowledge. Her intention is to help viewers understand, and thus accept, people who seem different from themselves.

Tessa Guzé, Painting with an Open Heart Exhibition wall 1, 2012

The phrase “Beginner’s Mind” refers to the Buddhist concept of Shoshin or “non-judging.” It means having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when perceiving the world or studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level. Living internationally, Ms. Guzé has found this attitude essential when studying different cultures and forming friendships and working relationships in various countries.
Tessa Guzé, Painting from Jugar, 2012
Ms. Guzé grew up in Durham and graduated from Durham School of the Arts in 2007. She won a scholarship to study at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2011. Four of her paintings were chosen for an exhibition at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia in the summer of 2011. Her work has also appeared in numerous other galleries in the United States, as well as in galleries in South Korea and Thailand.
Tessa Guzé, Painting with an Open Heart wall 2, 2012
The exhibit will run through September 9th in the Allenton Gallery on the first floor of the Durham Arts Council Building, 120 Morris Street. The opening reception is Friday, August 17th from 5-7pm.

Tessa Guzé, Painting featured in Painting with an Open Heart Exhibit, 2012
More information about Tessa Guzé can be found on her website: www.tessaguze.com.


July 5, 2012

Korean Child Monk


Tessa Guze, Child Monk, oil on canvas,  30"x40"

In South Korea Buddha's birthday is a holiday celebrated on May 28th. There are many celebrations leading up to holiday one of which is a temple stay experience for children. They have their heads saved and get to experience living like a monk.

If you are interested in seeing more of my work please visit my painting portfolio website or my fine arts blog.

June 1, 2012

May 25, 2012

West Highland White Terrier


Tessa Guze, Freddy Portrait, oil on canvas, 2012

This is a portrait of Freddy, a West Highland White Terrier. West Highland White Terries small dogs but they are great with children and protective guard dogs.
This is an oil portrait. It is small, only 8" x 10". It is currently on display at the Art Shop at Moore.

To see more pet paintings please visit my pet portraits gallery or my pet painting blog.

May 11, 2012

Bottled Water


Tessa Guze, Bottled Water, oil and charcoal on canvas, 2011
To see more similar paintings please visit my painting portfolio website  or my fine arts blog.

May 9, 2012

Walking Home


Tessa Guze, Walking Home, oil paint, 2011

This is a painted of a little boy I used to teach.  When I was in Jaipur India, I volunteered to teach in an impoverished shanty town. To see more similar paintings visit my fine arts blog or my painting portfolio website.

April 13, 2012

Memory Portrait


Tessa Guze, Lady in Blue, oil on canvas,  6" x 8"
This is a portrait of the lady who lived next door to the school where I taught in Jaipur, India. Our school was really just the space between two peoples houses with a tarp as a roof to keep rain and sun out. Every morning, this lady and the rest of her family would step over my students when they needed to come and go from their house.
My tiny school, its the space between the buildings under the blue tarp.

My students trying to fix an extra tarp on our school to shield us from the summer sun.
To see more similar work visit my Passion Projects Blog or my painting portfolio website.