My work focuses on interests in the rites of passage, memory, nostalgia, mythologies and nature. More recently, I have taken inspiration from the global events of 2020, particularly the impact of the pandemic and climate change. This has resulted in a sharpened connection to my surroundings, diving deeper into organic spaces and given many of us a newfound appreciation for slowness and nature. This body of work, Ecological Encounters, is centred around exploring the cyclical rhythm of time within organic matter. The process of my image-making explores compositions via blur and abstraction, intending to emulate the aesthetics of a painting. Playing with focus, layering, and manipulating, at times, challenges and confuses the eye of the viewer and produces imagery that may not be considered photographic but more pictorial. Abstracting the image centres on multiple exposures, overlapping and building upon the geometric intricacies and delicate forms that plant life provides against the monumental structure of trees. Digital collages of macro floral compositions celebrating colour, pattern and texture aim to honour the poetic, ephemeral yet hugely vital qualities of nature. "We think of photographs as fact, but they can also be fiction, metaphor or poetry. They are of the here and now, but they can be downright utilitarian, or they can be the stuff of dreams." – Gerry Badger, art critic

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About
Tess is a Brighton based visual artist and educator and lives close to the South Downs in East Sussex, UK. For the last 25 years, her freelance career has ranged from providing headshots for actors, business owners, and managing directors, and from fashion, interiors, couples on their wedding day to brand imagery. More recently, she has worked with schools, colleges, and universities to create fresh, bright images for promotion and web content. Tess has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, where she specialised in sculpture and installation art and completed a Masters in Photography at Brighton University. In 2007 she began teaching photography and art and design and has a real passion to share her knowledge and techniques, helping students thrive creatively. Tess continues to do so alongside her freelance work and personal art practice. Her recent exhibition was a solo exhibition as part of the photo fringe festival in Brighton.