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 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

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 the give artists like my self a chance to showcases and sell their paintings, while competing for prizes. Secondly it raises funds for the Figurative League to offer year-ground 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.

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.

First Snow

Tessa Guze, First Snow, oil on canvas

This is a painting I did after experiences my first winter in Korea.

If you would like to see more of my portrait paintings please visit my website.

Memory Portrait

Tessa Guze, Memory Portrait, oil on canvas, 6"x 8"

This is a portrait of one of my students in Kathputli Nagar, Jaipur, India.
The children in the Kathputli Nagar slum did not have many pictures of themselves so I painted small postcard sized oil portraits of them.

If you would like to see my full portrait painting portfolio please visit my website. Or to see a variety of my paintings please visit my artists blog. 

Portrait of Anna

Tessa Guze, Portrait of Anna, oil on canvas

This is an oil on canvas portrait of Anna Corbett. I meet Anna when she was teaching English in South Korea.

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

Portrait of Alex

Tessa Guze, Portrait of Alex, oil on canvas, 8"x10"

This is a portrait of a good friend of mine, Alex. She is smart, tough, creative and full of energy and attitude.

Ye Ji

Tessa Guze, Portrait of Ye Ji, oil on canvas, 16"x20"

This is a portrait of one of my best students. She attends the school where I teach in Gwangju, Korea.

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

HeART for Hope

Tessa Guze, Determination, oil on canvas

The Duange Prateep Foundation has organized an art exhibition and auction to mark the first anniversary of the Japanese tsunami. Pieces of artwork have been donated by artists from all over the world and are being auctioned. The money raised from the auction will fund a nine-day-camp for Japanese and Thai victimes of the tsunamis and other severe hardships. They will learn that they are not alone in their present suffering, There are other victims who have shared similar fates. They will engage in activities of experience-sharing and mutual support so they can begin to emerge from their current suffering and find hope in their futures.

The exhibition and auction is this March, 2012 at the Central World Complex at Rajprasong, Bankok.

If you are interested in seeing more of my work please visit my painting, illustration and fine arts 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: tessaguze.com/portraits.

Lasting Reflections

Tessa Guze, Portrait of Hanna, oil on canvas,   9"x14"

A successful portrait is not just a copy of what the subject looks like, but it is also a lasting reflection of the subject's character and personality. For the artist, this requires getting to know the subject in a very profound way. As a portrait painter I love getting to know new people and finding ways to make my paintings reflect them.
If you would like to see more of my portraits please visiting my website: tessaguze.com/portraits.html.