Tess Newberry

 As an artist, I like to explore unexpected relationships between people, animals, and objects. I draw inspiration from my dreams and nightmares, from unusual words or odd looking creatures. I also include imagery from my everyday life and subject matter that I have some connection with. I like to pair this everyday imagery with the unexpected, thus creating surreal environments and situations. I like to think that my finished work gives viewers a sort of insight into the strangeness that goes on in the mind. One could say that I would like to showcase the madness that the unconscious, and sometimes even the conscious, mind can create.

One of my inspirations is the surrealist artist Rene Magritte. Magritte once said, “To be a surrealist means barring from your mind all remembrance of what you have seen, and being always on the lookout for what has never been.” I strive to create paintings that have unusual juxtapositions that likely have never before been seen. Although each of the individual images or subjects in my paintings is something recognizable and/or well known, the way I pair together these elements is what makes my work unique.