TESS ARMITAGE

Tess Armitage’s work is deeply rooted in her connection to wild and untouched landscapes. Living on the edge of Exmoor, Tess draws inspiration from the rugged beauty of her surroundings. Her art captures not only the visual splendour of the landscape but also the atmosphere and spirit of the places she paints. Tess works intuitively, exploring paint through mark-making, scratching, splattering, and palette knife techniques, allowing each piece to evolve organically as she responds to the environment around her.

Tess’s artistic journey began with a foundation in Textile Design, earning a BA (Hons) from Nottingham in 1991. She spent several years teaching Art and Design before dedicating herself full-time to painting in 1998. Drawing on her rich experiences living in Africa and Nepal, Tess’s early work was inspired by the landscapes and cultures she encountered during her travels. In the late 1990s, she began selling her work professionally and worked as an Artist-in-Residence in a Manchester gallery, where her art was commissioned by large corporate clients and sold both in the UK and internationally.

After returning to Somerset, Tess continued to grow her artistic career and began regularly exhibiting her original paintings throughout the South West of England. Her work is known for its vigour and energy, with brushstrokes often complemented by textured, scraped surfaces that evoke the raw, elemental power of the landscapes she loves.

For Tess, painting is not just a process but an immersive experience. She spends time wandering the landscape she cherishes, breathing in the sea air, listening to the sounds of the wind and the waves, and absorbing the essence of the environment. These sensory moments inform her work, which aims to transcend mere visual representation and invite viewers to connect with the spirit of the places she paints. As Tess explains, “I hope to reach beyond visual representation and evoke the spirit of a place, so that the viewer may engage with the work and perhaps just for a moment be taken there.”

Her lifelong connection with nature, which began in her childhood exploring the fields and woods of Exmoor, is evident in every piece. Tess’s paintings embody a sense of freedom and belonging outdoors, capturing the vibrant energy of the natural world. Her journey as an artist is one of continuous exploration, as she seeks new media and techniques to express the ever-changing beauty around her.

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