Original Oil and Acrylic Paintings by Tess Gray

About the Artist

• I am a native of Knoxville, Tennessee. Here I have made my home and career. My roots are here, but I have lived all over the Southeast. My grandparents loved Florida and they took me on my first trips to Florida. Later my parents would vacation there also. I could hardly wait till the next trip. The tropical paradise left its impression on me very early. As you can see, I loved to watch the palms sway in the wind and the sea's rhythms shape the sand dunes.
• I have mastered acrylics, oils, clay, watercolor, pastels and photography. I am a current member of the Arts & Culture Alliance of Knoxville and of the Tennessee Artist Association. I display my work in various shows in the Southeast. I currently have paintings in Cafe 4, Sapphire Cafe, Chamber of Commerce of Knoxville, and the Knoxville Mayor's Office. Each piece is an original painting. There are no prints or copies.
• I am offering art classes most Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. Cost is $50.00 for a three hour class. You bring a canvas and I will supply the paint, brushes and floating paper for class. This class will be a free style class. This means you will bring your canvas to class with the idea or picture of what your heart desires to paint. I will help you create your painting. You will paint at your own pace and skill level will not matter. You can start and finish in one class if you are a fast painter. You can work on it in class and some at home, or bring your painting to class in several sessions to finish. Please let me know by Thursday if you are interested and I will have your space ready. Happy painting!

Welcome to The Tropicnut Art Gallery

Tess Gray's Tropical Gallery
Photos From The Wildlife Refuge 2008

As a tonal impressionist artist, I paint the world I see. Colors, to me, are so vivid. I loose the lines as I paint. I rarely ever sketch anything out first. I see it on the canvas and fill in the colors as I see them. This drives most fellow artist crazy, but I do not get hung up on the lines of my paintings, just their colors.

I have worked on a painting of a cabin that was torn down over fifty years ago. It is a cabin my dad grew up in. He talks about it often. I starting the painting for him last Christmas and gave it to him unfinished. I had to finish the painting from HIS memories of it. Week by week we have worked on it together. It gets its final touches this weekend and gets sprayed. It has been one of the most rewarding and interesting things I have painted.

I have a wonderful family that puts up with my plein air art trips and offer words of encouragement along the way.

Thank you for visiting the Gallery. Please stop in again. This site is updated weekly. Stop in and see my exciting new pieces.

I hope to get some paint time in today. I have not had the opportunity to paint in the last couple of months. Very busy working. But this too will pass. Working is good.....eating is good too! LOL.

Email: tropicnut@att.net