A Beaumont-Wilshire Creatives Series
Beaumont-Wilshire resident Tess Donohoe is a graphic designer who works with a partner via the shared business, Studio DAD. The company recently completed the campaign “Wild for All” for a new documentary series on Netflix titled, “Our Great National Parks,” produced by the Obama Foundation. The firm also created a visual identity for Oregon Metro and Portland Parks & Recreation. Tess, however, is not just one of Portland’s innovative graphic designers—she’s also a painter, illustrator, and visual entrepreneur.
Background
Born in Copenhagen, Tess emigrated to the United States in 2004 to pursue a creative career, a lifelong passion.
“I was always drawing,” she said. “I did the covers for my elementary school newsletters! I’ve never wanted to do anything else outside of the creative field.”
Attending City College in San Francisco after she came to the States, fortune smiled upon her when a teacher took her under his wing.
“I learned figure drawing and oil painting,” she said. “It was a great time for learning technique without any real pressure.” When studying later at the Art Center in Los Angeles, Tess found the bar higher since landing a job upon graduation was emphasized.
“I loved everything about it, but there was more pressure,” she said. “That’s when I got more focused on animation and illustration and how to make a living.”
Nature Touches Tess’ Art
While she works in a variety of mediums through graphic design and other artistic pursuits, the process of oil painting outdoors is a form of meditation for Tess.
“You get outdoors and into nature, away from computers and electronics, and it’s one of the only times you feel present and in the moment. It’s you, the canvas, and nature.”
In her still life painting work, she explored a style that lets her push the boundaries of her skills in the field of plein air painting—painting in real time, painting what you see.
“When I first started doing landscape painting, my goal was to do 500 paintings before I was showing anything,” said Tess. “It created a sense of freedom in that I wouldn’t get hung up on the details and could just focus on the color blue for a series of paintings, for instance.”
Affected by Rembrandt
Tess traveled to Amsterdam once and viewed the work of Rembrandt, the famous Dutch Golden Age painter. There she learned about what he required of his students, which she found to be enlightening.
“They would have to do the same paintings every day for a year or so,” she said.
“It’s a different level of commitment in learning and training to truly build a mastery of something—it’s not the ‘Instagram mentality’ of today.”
— Tess Donohoe
Tess Comes to B-W
In 2013, Tess and her husband moved to Oregon where they found a unique property in Beaumont-Wilshire—previously a window factory—which now serves as a combination furniture workshop, art studio, and living space for their family. She and her husband Ryan, who is a furniture maker, and their young daughter Bonnie can be found walking in the neighborhood, which Tess says they love.
“We walk everywhere we can and are especially fans of Wilshire Park, where we often take our daughter to play.”
For more information about Tess Donohoe, view her paintings at tessdonohoeart.com and her graphic design work at studiodad.biz.
David Friedman, @friedart, is a visual artist specializing in papercutting, printmaking, and painting. He and his dog, Poppi @poppipdx, can be seen daily at Wilshire Park. His work is on display at the Alberta Street Gallery, daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.