Tess Drawing

I was born on the Isle of Wight, an island of the south coast of the UK. I studied graphics at Portsmouth Art College and on graduating moved to London. I worked briefly at Thames TV doing TV graphics before joining a small design group in Fulham, south west London in the early 70s. Thirty years on I was running, with my business partner, a design practice employing 20 odd staff and working for large national and international businesses. in early 2000 I sold out and took some time off and a year on started up again as a freelance design consultant, mostly working for small businesses. Design was all absorbing until by chance a saw an exhibition of Lucian Freud's work at the National Portrait Gallery in London and was inspired to refresh long lots skills in drawing and painting. I subsequently took courses at Putney School of Art, Heatherleys and Life drawing at The Landmark Art Centre, Teddington. For the last four years I have had a studio at ASC Studios in Kingston with 50 other artists and I paint there virtually every day.