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. 

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.

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 more oil paintings and illustrations. 

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 paintings, portraits and illustrations 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

Walking to School

Tessa Guzé, Walking to School, oil on canvas, 2011

This painting is currently on exhibition as part of a solo show of my work, titled "Beginner's Mind: Painting with an Open Heart". It just sold to another artist! The reception for the show is this Friday, from 5-7pm at the Durham Arts Council, in NC.

This is painting of one of the students I taught when I was working in a shanty town in Jaipur, India.

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

Real People Exhibition

Tessa Guzé, Looking into Light 2012, oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

The Real People Exhibition is run every August by the Old Court House Figurative League. It is a national juried show of figurative work. The theme is "Real People - Celebrating the Arts through Faces and Figures." The exhibition serves two purposes. The first is give artists like myself a chance to showcase and sell their paintings, while competing for prizes. Secondly it raises funds for the Figurative League to offer year-round life drawing programs to local artists.

The Real People Exhibition is being held in the Old Court House Art Center, in Woodstock, IL. There is going to be an opening reception on Saturday, August 25th from 6-8PM.

To see more similar work please visit my painting portfolio website or my portrait painting blog. 

Beginner's Mind: Painting with an OpenHeart

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.

Street Cook

Tessa Guze, Street Cook, oil on canvas, 24" x 18"

This is a painting of a South Korean street vender cooking spicy rice cakes.

To see more of my paintings visit my website or my artists blog. 

Blue Sari

Tessa Guze, Mumbai Girl, oil on canvas, 16"x20"

This is a painting of a young girl from Mumbai wearing a blue sari.

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

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 artist's blog.

Women's Works, 25th Anniversary Show

Tessa Guze, Lips, oil on canvas,

This painting is in the Women's Works 2012 25th Anniversary Show, in the Old Court House Arts Center in Woodstock, Illinois. This show is run by the NAAC (Northwest Area Arts Council).
The show opens on March 8th. There will be a Gala Night Opening Reception is March 24th at 7PM CST with over 500 people attending. The show will continue through April 29th.
For more information about the show you can visit NAAC's website: www.naac4art.org or the Women's Works website: www.womensworks.net. Anyone in the area please stop by and check out the show!
If you are interested in seeing more similar work please visit the portraits page of my website.

Intension

Tessa Guze, Intension, oil on canvas

Tessa Guze, Intension, Sketch, oil on canvas

To see more similar work please visit my painting portfolio website or my artists blog.

Thirst

Tessa Guze, Thirst, oil and charcoal on canvas

African baby drinking water from a dirty rusted bowl. 

Street Dog

Tessa Guze, Street Pup, oil on canvas

This is a painting of a half starved street dog in India.

Unescorted

Unescorted, Oil on Canvas

This is a painting I did a little over a year ago when I was applying for a fellowship from Moore College of Art & Design. The fellowship ended up funding my trip to India.

Walking Home

Walking Home

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.

Help?

Tessa Guze, Help, Oil on Canvas

This is a painting of a beggar in India.

To see more of my paintings please visit my fine arts portfolio website or my artists blog.

A Safe Place to Sleep

Tessa Guze, Sleeping Alone, oil on canvas, 2011

Indian street dog sleeping on a ledge.

If you would like to see more of my animal paintings or fine arts paintings please visit my website or my pet paintings blog or artists blog.

Memory Portrait 1

Tessa Guze, Memory Portrait, Oil Paint

This is a portrait of the lady who lived next door to the school where I taught english in Jaipur, India. Our school was really just in 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 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.