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 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

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

Clumsy Cat

This is a painting I did for an exhibition and fundraiser for Philabundance, a charity the fights hunger in inner city areas of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

Tessa Guzé, Clumsy Cat, oil on canvas, 2012

If you would like to see more of my illustrations please visit my children's book illustrations website.

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

Jugar Featured in Exhibition

Tessa Guzé, Original paintings from "Jugar", oil on canvas, 2011

I am having a solo exhibition of my paintings shown at the Durham Arts Council in Durham, NC. The exhibition is mostly my fine arts painting but I have featured a selection of original paintings from a children's book I illustrated called "Jugar". Jugar is a children's book about an Indian street dog surviving his first monsoon. The opening for this exhibition is Friday, August 17th, 5-7PM.

Tessa Guzé, Durham Arts Council exhibition photo 2012

Tessa Guzé, Durham Arts Council exhibition photo 2012

Here a a few other pictures of the work in the show.  The show is titled Beginner's Mind: Painting with an Open Heart. Beginner's Mind is a 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. The paintings in the show are mostly portraits of people from various places and cultures around the world.

If you would like to see more of my fine arts paintings please visit the fine arts portfolio page of my website or my artist's blog. 

Noble Sheepdog

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 artists blog.

West Highland White Terrier

Tessa Guze, Freddy Portrait, oil on canvas, 2012

This is a portrait of a West Highland White Terrier. West Highland White Terriers are small dogs, they are great with kids and also protective guard dogs.
This portrait is small only 8" x 10". It is currently on display at the Art Shop at Moore.

Jugar Cover

Jugar Cover, Tessa Guze, oil on canvas

This is the cover and jacket flap of a children's book that I illustrated called Jugar. Jugar is a word that I learned while living in Delhi. Jugar is the uniquely Indian concept of innovating solving problems with whatever is at hand. This was my favorite word that I learned in India, and I really felt that it illustrates the creativity and spontaneity of life in India.
If you are interested you can see a preview of the entire book on the blurb website or visit my portfolio website.

Kittens

Tessa Guze, Kittens, oil on canvas, 2012

To see more of my paintings please visit my painting portfolio website or my pet portraits blog!

First Snow

Tessa Guze, Ear Muffs, oil on canvas, 11" x 14"

I have always hated winter. I hate the cold. I hate winter clothing. However living in Korea, I have started to enjoy winter (I didn't really have a choice). I went skiing for the first time, and loved it! I also discover that wearing half a dozen layers of clothing truly does help to ward off the cold. Here in Korea there are lots of cute and fashionable winter clothing and paraphernalia, including the huge earmuffs I have painted in this picture. I  have learned to see the beauty of falling snow and of people struggling to protect themselves from the cold (while remaining fashionably chic).

This painting is currently on display at the Gwangju International Center. It is part of a solo exhibition of my work titled, Portraits of Life. All the paintings in the show are paintings I have done in the past few months since moving to Korea.

Racing Horse Painting

This is a painting I did of a racing horse. I started with a charcoal drawing on the canvas (bottom picture).  I used the charcoal to find the shadow shapes, the shadow shapes to create a sense of volume. Once the shadow shapes are established it is than simple for me to paint on top focusing on color and paint application. If you are interested in seeing more of my horse paintings please visit equestrianpaintings.blogspot.com.

Final Painting, 2011

Charcoal Sketch, 2011

Red Rainboots

Tessa Guze, Red Rainboots, oil on canvas, 2011

This is an oil painting of a cat and a little girl. This painting, along with other pet portraits and children's book illustrations, will be displayed in the Gwangju International Center, in Gwangju South Korea starting March, 10th. This is an oil painting of a cat and a little girl. To see more similar paintings please visit my pet painting blog yourpetpainting.blogspot.com.

Hello!

Tessa Guze, Lion Gets His Color,  mixed media, 

I am a children's book illustrator, currently doing freelance work from Korea. I love children, books and painting.

I have known that I wanted to be a children's book illustrator for as long as I can remember. Before I knew how to read or write I began by stapling pieces of paper together to make my own books and then drawing on the pages. I dictated my stories to my mother who dutifully filled in the words for me. For a book-making class in art school I teamed up with my mother, Karen Guze, on again to create "How the Painted Hunting Dog Got His Marks", which we both brain stormed, she wrote, and I illustrated. We worked so easily together that we decided to continue with "Jugar" for my senior thesis. To see a preview of the book please click here. Copies of this book are available in hardback at blurb.com/books/2106034 or in paperback at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/tessaguzeatgmaildotcom.