Local artist paints strokes of hope

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEREDITH MCCANN PHOTOGRAPHY
Tessa Brown poses with her artwork.[/caption]

KYLE — As a teenager, Kyle resident Tessa Brown loved art, but when faced with the future, she chose to pursue a “proper” degree. Now, more than a decade later, the wide-eyed, paint-loving child wouldn’t believe the life she leads — married with two children and working as a full-time artist.

Like many students, art was Brown’s favorite subject in school. It was an opportunity for her to relax and escape into her projects. When describing how it felt, she laughed as she explained that art is something that she can do without thinking as opposed to other subjects. Though, art ran deeper than a favorite class for her.

“I started doing art stuff when I was young,” said Brown. “My mom was really always into art [and] my grandmother is a painter as well, so it kind of just trickled down to me.”

A distinct memory of her childhood is staring at a drawing that her mother produced in her house. It was a large-scale pencil portrait of a woman: “The fact that my mom could have drawn that was really incredible to me,” she recalled.

Primarily painting oil landscapes and abstracts, Brown focuses on the idea of beauty from sadness, such as the experience of understanding that though someone may not be where they want to be, something beautiful can still come in the future.

“I think [my art] comes from my faith and God,” Brown said. “Also, God is creator; I believe that he created the world and, in that way, I’m honoring him. It’s almost like worship for me to create.”

Over the past few years, Brown has found success in her work through her online shop as well as licensing deals with brands such as Hobby Lobby. But, her biggest accomplishment is sharing her work with the world.

“I think that [art] is a way to connect with people without words. I think two people can look at a piece of art and feel a certain level of empathy or compassion for one another, like it almost brings out our humanity more [and] I really love that,” stressed Brown. “[I hope that people find] a sense of peace and hope [in my art], but also feel seen. If they’re not there yet, if you are in a sad or melancholy place, it’s okay to sit in that and have hope. That’s what I want my work to come across as.”

Brown is set to participate in the upcoming Austin Studio Tour. The Austin Studio Tour is an annual free, self-guided art tour that provides an opportunity for the public to meet the artists of Austin in their creative spaces. The event will take place from 12-6 p.m. on Nov. 11-12. Community members can visit Brown and her artwork at 2301 E Cesar Chavez St., Austin.

In the meantime, Brown will continue to create art as a form of love and faith, while also giving her children the same experience that she had growing up — being surrounded by art and encouraging them to partake in it.

“As a young, high schooler, 17-year-old, I never realized all of the ways I could become an artist. I didn’t realize my work could be carried across the nation and people all around would buy it. I think it’s really cool that younger Tessa wouldn’t have ever known that this could really happen,” beamed Brown. “If I could go back and tell myself, I would say, ‘Start earlier.’ I’d say, ‘Go for it.’ If you have a dream when you’re 17 to really do something, I would do everything to go for it.”

To contact and view Brown’s art, visit TessaBrownArt.com or find her on Instagram @TessaBrownArt.