About Tanya Tewell
Tanya Tewell received an M.F.A. in painting and drawing from Arizona State University and did graduate work in art therapy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. She taught for over thirty years and felt privileged to work with aspirational and idealistic young artists. Teaching was her central focus at a university in Tennessee and she especially enjoyed working with first generation college students from difficult circumstances. Encouraging, supporting, respecting differences, yet challenging students was her passion as a teacher. She also taught at a school in Arizona where she worked with children from many different tribal nations and taught at a very challenging high school in South Phoenix. She stated that, "I am sure that I learned more from my students in these situations than they learned from me."
As far as personal background, Tewell grew up in foster care with many other displaced children in a very large and crowded boarding house that was owned by her "grandmother." This extraordinary grandmother opened her doors to anyone who needed a place to live, so there were people from many nationalities, backgrounds, and ages. It was, overall, a very interesting place for Tewell to grow up and she always had a variety of people to draw. For Professor Tewell, this is where her passion for painting people began. Also, working in jobs like factory work, cleaning houses, and waiting tables have also been a good training ground for her perspectives toward other people and an understanding of how hard life can be for many.
In addition to these kinds of jobs, Tewell worked for fifteen years as a freelance illustrator for editorial and advertising venues. Medical illustration, newspapers, and magazines were the most engaging for her. Advertising illustration was her least favorite area in which to work, as the money did not compensate for the intrinsic stress and basic motives of the industry.
Professor Tewell actively exhibits her paintings in juried national and international shows. She has been in over a hundred and fifty exhibitions--mostly, international and national juried shows. Her area of study has always been the figure and portrait which she uses more universally, as metaphorical and symbolic imagery. Tewell perceives many links between past and present civilizations and uses pentimento technique to show these layers of time in her paintings. Her focus now is to portray strong female imagery within the context of crumbling frescos and ruins that she has photographed around Italy. Tewell has also been intensively studying Etruscan tomb paintings and sculpture in central Italy. Various archeological sites in Pompeii, Vulci, Tuscania, Tarquinia, and Rome and the sacred rock art in the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah are primary inspirations for her paintings.
Tanya Tewell received an M.F.A. in painting and drawing from Arizona State University and did graduate work in art therapy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. She taught for over thirty years and felt privileged to work with aspirational and idealistic young artists. Teaching was her central focus at a university in Tennessee and she especially enjoyed working with first generation college students from difficult circumstances. Encouraging, supporting, respecting differences, yet challenging students was her passion as a teacher. She also taught at a school in Arizona where she worked with children from many different tribal nations and taught at a very challenging high school in South Phoenix. She stated that, "I am sure that I learned more from my students in these situations than they learned from me."
As far as personal background, Tewell grew up in foster care with many other displaced children in a very large and crowded boarding house that was owned by her "grandmother." This extraordinary grandmother opened her doors to anyone who needed a place to live, so there were people from many nationalities, backgrounds, and ages. It was, overall, a very interesting place for Tewell to grow up and she always had a variety of people to draw. For Professor Tewell, this is where her passion for painting people began. Also, working in jobs like factory work, cleaning houses, and waiting tables have also been a good training ground for her perspectives toward other people and an understanding of how hard life can be for many.
In addition to these kinds of jobs, Tewell worked for fifteen years as a freelance illustrator for editorial and advertising venues. Medical illustration, newspapers, and magazines were the most engaging for her. Advertising illustration was her least favorite area in which to work, as the money did not compensate for the intrinsic stress and basic motives of the industry.
Professor Tewell actively exhibits her paintings in juried national and international shows. She has been in over a hundred and fifty exhibitions--mostly, international and national juried shows. Her area of study has always been the figure and portrait which she uses more universally, as metaphorical and symbolic imagery. Tewell perceives many links between past and present civilizations and uses pentimento technique to show these layers of time in her paintings. Her focus now is to portray strong female imagery within the context of crumbling frescos and ruins that she has photographed around Italy. Tewell has also been intensively studying Etruscan tomb paintings and sculpture in central Italy. Various archeological sites in Pompeii, Vulci, Tuscania, Tarquinia, and Rome and the sacred rock art in the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah are primary inspirations for her paintings.