Tess uses traditional and contemporary styles and using heavy weight, roughly textured water colour paper. Her lettering is drawn in water resistant inks of archive quality and are fade resistant. Illuminations are completed in high quality watercolour paint. 

The original pieces, which can viewed at Tess’ studio in Monmouth, are available for purchase. If not fully satisfied, all pieces can be returned for a full refund.

Click here to visit other gallery, featuring work on a Religious theme.

Limited Edition Hand Finished Prints

Many of Tess’ pieces are available as limited edition prints which can ordered as a single item or in volume. They are reproduced by using the very best, colour managed Giclee printing equipment using archival quality papers and inks. 

Each piece is individually hand finished by Tess which includes embossing and using gold, copper or metal leaf and is framed in quality beech or birch. Some pieces are only available in hand made ash frames. This is reflected in the price. You can discuss any other framing requirements with Tess if you prefer something other than stated. Individually made frames will vary in price according to the frame you choose.

PLEASE NOTE: ALL TESSIE'S WORK IS NOW HAND-FRAMED AND PRICES HAVE BEEN AMENDED ACCORDINGLY. IF YOU HAVE SPECIAL FRAMING REQUIREMENTS PLEASE ASK TESSIE.

Please click on the link under each picture for a bigger version and more details, including sizes, price and media used.

Excerpts from Jubilate Agno- My Cat Geoffrey

Christopher Smart (11 April 1722 - 21 May 1771), was an English poet. One of his most widely known works is Jubilate Agno. Jubilate Agno is divided into four fragments labeled "A", "B", "C", and "D". The whole work consists of over 1,200 lines: all the lines in some sections begin with the word Let; those in other sections begin with For. Those in the series beginning with the word "Let," associated names of human beings, mainly biblical, with various natural objects; and those beginning with the word "For" are a series of aphoristic verses.
In Jubilato Agno, Smart describes his writing as creating "impressions". To accomplish this task, he incorporated puns and onomatopoeia in order to emphasize the theological significance of his poetic language. Jubilate Agno reflects an abandonment of traditional poetic structures in order to explore complex religious thought. His "Let" verses join creation together as he seemingly writes his own version of Biblical poetry.
Smart's plan was to arrange the Let and For passages opposite one another antiphonally, following a practice of biblical Hebrew poetry.

Size:
Large      47 x 87 cms £345
Medium   38 x 65 cms £255

To buy, contact Tess.

How Do I Love Thee?

Sonnet XLIII, "How Do I Love Thee?" is probably Elizabeth Barrett Browning's most popular love poem. It is heartfelt, romantic, loving, elegant, and simple. It is also quite memorable. The love poem starts with the question, "How Do I Love Thee?" and proceeds to count the ways. Her Christian spirituality testifies that she loves Robert "to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach." She then professes seven more ways that she loves Robert. Her "passion put to use in my old griefs" refers to the depth of her former despair. The love that "I seemed to lose with my lost saints" refers to the lost loves of her mother and her brother. The love poem ends with the declaration that time and death will not diminish her love for Robert because "if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death."

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Size:
Large      53 x 66 cms £275
Medium   37 x 47 cms £195
Small       24 x 35 cms £145

To buy, contact Tess.

Let Him Kiss Me With Kisses of His Mouth

Song of Songs 1:2-14 Song of Songs is love poetry without guilt. The lovers it portrays are at ease but not obsessed with their sexuality. They praise each other's beauty, are overtaken by the desire for intimacy and union, and celebrate their longing for each other. The young girl takes the lead in the relationship. The song celebrates a love so fierce that nothing but death can match its power. The lovers look forward to a life of commitment to each other (8:6).

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Large      40 x 77 cms £245
Medium   24 x 55 cms £195
Small       36 x 20 cms £145

To buy, contact Tess.

Lead Me From Death to Life

The words in this piece were written by Satish Kumar. Satish was born in Rajasthan, India in 1936, a peace campaigner, Jain monk and nuclear disarmament advocate, he has dedicated his life to promoting a peaceful, measured way of living. In 1961 Satish received news from Britain that 90yr old Bertrand Russell had been sentenced to prison for his anti nuclear activities. He saw it as his call to action and wanted to contribute to the struggle. He began his journey, on foot, with Prabhakar Menon at the grave of Mahatma Gandhi walking to the four nuclear capitols, Moscow, Paris, London and New York, finishing two and a half years later at the grave of John F Kennedy.

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Large      53 x 66 cms £275
Medium   37 x 47 cms £195
Small       24 x 35 cms £145

To buy, contact Tess.

By the Sea

The inspiration for this piece comes from the sea.  I have tried to capture the movement of the waves and the tranquil colours of the water.  We often feel the sea puts everything into perspective and brings about a sense of deep stillness.

By the sea I rest, her deep indigo waters are silent, my soul is stilled. By the sea I lay, by the sea I pray, Dropping my words on to her sand.  By the sea I dream By the sea I wonder what is here what is beyond.  I love the sea.  By the sea I fear nothing She is she She is quiet The sea tenderly allows me permission to be

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Size:
Large      53 x 66 cms £275
Medium   37 x 47 cms £195
Small       24 x 35 cms £145

To buy, contact Tess.

Take Him and Cut Him Out In Little Stars

Taken from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet - 'Take Him and Cut Him Out In Little Stars and He Will Make The Face of Heaven So Fine That All The World Will Be In Love With Night and Pay No Worship To The Garish Sun.' Designed to have a stained glass window effect with sea ocean colours with the sun, stars and crosses finished with gold leaf.

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Size:
Large     23 x 82cm £235
Small   18 x 60cm £165

To buy, contact Tess.

Love in Your Heart

The words have been attributed to several sources including Oscar Hammerstein's You Are Sixteen (Reprise) A bell is no bell 'til you ring it, A song is no song 'til you sing it, And love in your heart Wasn't put there to stay - Love isn't love 'Til you give it away.  The words are surrounded by I love you  in six languages - it's for you to identify them!

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Large:    28 x 53cm £175
Small:    40 x 23cm £145

To buy, contact Tess.

I Believe

A piece which talks about believing in the unseen – even when there is sometimes evidence to the contrary. It includes Psalm 46 verse 10 and words from David Gascoyne. The mosaic design was inspired a by a glass font I saw at the V + A Museum. Detailed piece with much hand finishing in gold leaf.  

Details

The Full Piece


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Size:
Large      53 x 66 cms   £275
Medium   37 x 47 cms   £195
Small       24 x 35 cms   £145

To buy, contact Tess.

Pax Intrantibus

Peace to those entering, Blessings to those who live here, Peace to those leaving.   These words are traditionally hung near the front door of churches and homes.


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Sizes:
Large      50 x 50 cms   £175
Medium   30 x 30 cms   £ 145
Small     26 x 26 cms   £120

To buy, contact Tess.

Bless Us With Discomfort

May God Bless you with Discomfort…. Anger….Tears….and Foolishness.  This is a Franciscan Benediction which calls upon us to challenge what is difficult and uncomfortable. The four cameos depict Ghandi, Reflective Woman, Crying Man and Mother Teresa.

Details

Full Piece


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Sizes:
Large      53 x 66 cms   £275
Medium   37 x 47 cms   £195
Small       24 x 35 cms   £145

To buy, contact Tess.

Hunger for Justice - Words On A Slave Ship

Archbishop of Canterbury  Dr Rowan Williams was presented with the original of – Hunger for Justice Words on Slave Ship when he opened the 2007 Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Park Esher.  The piece contains quotations from Wilberforce and other campaigners against the slave trade and also recent commentators who have spoken out against human exploitation and traffiicking including Archbishop Rowan  I wanted to capture different aspects of the trade in the piece. The words depict the ship crammed with slaves, their inhuman treatment and the blood that was shed in this horrible trade 

Limited edition prints of the piece are available for sale with 20% of the proceeds being donated to CHASTE - a charity which actively works for the global eradication of Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation Across Europe. (www.Chaste.org.uk ).

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Words From Kahill Gibran

Poet, philosopher, artist, prophet and writer, Kahlil Gibran was born in Bsharri, Lebanon in 1883.  He died in 1931 leaving an amazing legacy in the form of his writings and drawings which have soothed and inspired millions.  To many he is a genius whose philosophical and prophetic style convey important messages about life and humanity in a simple, yet beautifully eloquent manner. Each piece is hand finished in gold leaf.

Love One Another  [click each image for a larger version]

 

Stand Together 

Sing and Dance  

Size:
Large:     50 x 50 cm £195
Medium:    30 x 30cm £145
Small:     26 x 26cm £120

Framed as a trilogy: 56 x 25 cm £195

To buy, contact Tess.

No Rope Can Tie or Bind

No Rope can tie or bind as love can do with a single thread.  A simple but powerful tribute to love which compares the very strong to the very fragile. Written to resemble a simple thread finished with gold leaf hearts.


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Size:
Large       50 x 25 cms £155
Small       40 x 20 cms £135

To buy, contact Tess.

I Will Be Here - Always

From the verse by Steven Curtis Chapman    The journey of life and reassurance from the first flushes of love to the reality of difficult times.  I will be true to the promises I made to you and to the One who gave you to me.    Designed in panels with embossed Always and finished in gold leaf.


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Size:
Large      53 x 66 cms £275
Medium   37 x 47 cms £195
Small       24 x 35 cms £145

To buy, contact Tess.

Rain

From the Maori poet Hone Tuwhare Rain …..If I should not see hear, feel, or smell you…you would still define me, disperse me, wash over me. Contemporary design with splashes of blue and green. Mixture of water colour and ink with silver leaf.

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Size:
Large      50 x 70 cms £275
Medium   40 x 50 cms £195
Small       30 x 40 cms £145

To buy, contact Tess.

Peaceful Stillness On A Frosty Night

A contemporary piece inspired by Bill Anderson's poem 'A Night on the Downs' integrated with words from 'Frost at Midnight' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge; and also the line ' Peaceful Stillness Reigneth Evermore' by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It aims to capture the cold dark stillness of a clear winter's night, the sky deep as ink, light shining from distant stars, the ground crisp with frost. Using a wet in wet technique, this piece is very loose in design. Some words are painted in white to convey the delicate touch of frost. Embossed and finished with silver leaf to capture the cold sparkle of the stars in the night sky.

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Hand Finished Limited Edition Prints:
Size:
Large      50 x 70 cms £235
Medium   40 x 50 cms £175
Small       30 x 40 cms £145

To buy, contact Tess.

True Peace and Justice

Inspirational words of Dr Martin Luther King from his 1958 book Stride Toward Freedom- the Montgomery Story. Embossed with the word Peace and finished with gold leaf on the cross.

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Limited Edition Hand Finished Prints:    
Size: Large     40 x 77cm £245
Medium   24 x 55cm
Small     20 x 36cm £145

To buy, contact Tess.

At the Centre of our Being is a Point of Nothingness
Words that are often quoted from Thomas Merton which reveal the connection between the individual sense of oneness with the divine and the essential oneness of the human family.  The design has been kept simple to convey the simplicity of our being.  The diamond is so pure and beautiful but enduring - the word Nothingness embossed to the right. 

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Size:
Large     53 x 66cm £275
Medium   37 x 47cm £195
Small     24 x 35cm £145

To buy, contact Tess.

In the Bleak Mid Winter

Words from the famous poem by Christina Rosetti that has become a much loved Christmas carol  Painted using dark greys and blue greys with flurries of snow.  The lettering represents the delicacy of frost and the word Iron finished with copper leaf to lok rust and reflect the cold hardness of winter.

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