Tessa Coe Hampshire, United Kingdom

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I am a painter of ideas and passions, sourced from the landscapes around us and the mindscapes they evoke is me. With my science background, I try to blend the stories of how and why things are, with my desire to express these wonders in colour and form. My focus is part science, part enchanment and growing concern. I want to wonder at this precious planet, in all its fragility and resilience.

All my canvases are square. They are glimpses of much bigger ideas of place and feeling. A painting begins with a base colour, most often life-giving sun yellow or watery blue. This is followed by random expressive drawings in a dark toned, thin paint. Some of these marks survive to the finished piece, some not. At the start of a canvas these marks guide me through unknown territory, no map, no plan. Yet.

To hint at the complexity and interconnectedness of life within and around us, I fill my canvas with simple marks of varying size, shape and colour. There are spaces between these shapes. Nothing is set in stone. I imagine the image changing when I have done with it. Life goes on.

Colours are chosen to reflect mood and an evolving story. Everything is kept fluid, marks and backgrounds change. Colours come and go. This is a conversation that continues until I feel enough has been said, and enough left unsaid.

My main goal is to produce work that is life affirming and celebrates what we still have on this precious planet, in order to express just how much we have to lose.

Paintings are often accompanied by short text to tell the story of the piece, how it came to be, and a little of what it means to me. I have always done this. I photograph work as I go, so the journey is there for me to see in all its twists and turns. This text is mostly for me, but occasionally helps me when I need to discuss work with others.