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. 

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.

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.