Growing up in and around Sydney's Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Tess took pleasure in documenting the beauty of the natural environment through drawing and photography.
While studying printmaking for her undergraduate in Newcastle, NSW, she discovered her favoured print medium – the Japanese vinylcut. The meticulous aspect of carving can be seen as a dedication to the subject that each piece explores.
Heavily inspired by the work of Margaret Preston and other female Australian printmakers of the early and mid-20th century, Tess endeavours to emulate the sense of balance, composition and bold design found in their works.
She often uses watercolour to hand colour her limited edition relief prints, creating one-of-a-kind artworks within each limited edition.
With her "Double Degree of Bachelor of Teaching/Bachelor of Fine Art, with Honours" from the University of Newcastle in hand, Tess moved to Canberra and began an exploration and documentation of the vegetation and bird life of the Bush Capital's National Parks.
From the Golden Age of Dutch exploration to more recent interpretations of Delftware, the story of blue and white ceramics is a fascinating one.
For 'A Vessel's Journey' Tess was initially inspired by her mother's collection of Chinese and Japanese vases and plates, but the body of work has since evolved into a much more personal interrogation of self-identity, family history and ongoing evolution of the artist as an individual.
Hand colouring allows Tess the to create elements of individuality and spontaneity in the prints, as she slightly alters the colour-ways and brushstroke application with the creation of each artwork.
"'A Vessels Journey' has been a long time in the making and I would like to thank Stan, David and the rest of the BWWG family for their patience and guidance during my journey.