A New Gallery Takes Off
MARK WALTER interviews Tessa & Markus Thonett.
I first met Tessa and Markus at the Electro Studios earlier this year and straight away became interested in their story. When I was invited to a private view at their house in St Leonards, it certainly wasn’t the usual private view, but it turned out to be a great chance to see their vast body of work – and in the following weeks to interview them both, about their life, work and their new gallery called Blast.
Both Markus and Tessa Thonett were born into artist families, Markus in Cologne, Germany, and Tessa in Hampshire. Markus’ parents were full-time artists, as was Tessa’s Mum, and her dad was very creative. Art was like breathing – a part of everyday life.
Markus and Tessa left their birth countries quite young. Markus left Germany at 18 to go to art school in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, while Tessa had already studied at Farnham and Chelsea art schools before leaving for the USA, aged 25. She travelled and lived there for five years before going to live in Brazil for 16 years, where she had her four children. After a divorce, she took them back to upstate New York, USA.
While living in America she was introduced (long distance through mutual friends) to Markus, who was by then an art professor in Ireland. They were soul mates at first contact, and they were married two months later (now 22 years ago).
They left America to go to Cameroon, Africa, with Tessa’s four teenage children, to start up a project there for women, using local fabric. It’s still going on independently, as Markus and Tessa originally intended. On returning to the UK, Tessa experienced cancer, then later they opened a successful independent charity shop in Hampshire, supporting projects internationally, nationally and locally.
Throughout their travels, both Markus and Tessa continued to make and show their art. Tessa has her portraits scattered around the world, while Markus made his unique and wonderful work, using locally found objects.
Markus has always been fascinated by the stories of found objects and materials. Initially, he used assemblage, but more recently has started working on previously used and discarded materials, such as plywood, OSB and Formica boards. His inspiration comes from nature, the passing of time and the multitude of human experiences.
Over the years, Tessa found she was painting too tightly and wanted to loosen up, so she started using palette knives, even making abstracts to help with that loosening up process. Now her portraits are mainly painted using palette knives. Her aim has always been to portray the spirit of the sitter, not just their physical attributes. She always looks for their essence and isn’t satisfied until she catches it.
Together they also create their collaborative work, so-called ‘icons’. First, Markus makes his wild and wonderful background through carving, burning, painting and sanding, and then he primes a space in the centre. Tessa then paints a face delicately in oils – expressionless, allowing the viewer to reflect and interpret.
They arrived in Hastings exactly a year ago, coming from Hampshire where they had been taking care of Tessa’s Mum. They had had their eyes on Hastings for many years, coming for breaks here and wanting to move as soon as they were able. They have landed in exactly the place they have always dreamt of – a creative community with lots going on!
Both have been showing in numerous venues in Hastings, with work on exhibition continuously since they arrived. Now, realising a long-time dream of Tessa’s, they are about to open an art gallery of their own! David Sunney gave them this incredible opportunity in St Andrews Mews, Hastings, where they have a pop-up gallery for three months.
All artists interested in participating in the up and coming exhibitions (About Face, Minutia or Abstraction) please contact Tessa at [email protected].
Markus: artsudtiosthonett.com
Tessa: artstudiotessath onett.com
Icons: thonett-icon-paintings.com
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