About Tamsin

Art, creativity and a passion for the natural world have always been an integral part of Tamsin’s life.

Based in her home studio on the South Coast of Cornwall, Tamsin spends her days sat at her drawing table overlooking her cottage garden. As a child she would pore over illustrations in old reference books, marveling at the skill of those who documented the flora and fauna around them with such beautiful precision.

Having discovered a love of drawing at an early age, years of self-directed learning have allowed her to develop a unique methodology and artistic style which employs just four pencils and an eraser to create classical pencil portraits.

Once Tamsin mastered drawing in graphite, she began exploring coloured pencils and most recently soft pastel. Each medium has different qualities for both the artist and the viewer, bringing its own nature to the artworks. In every picture Tamsin draws, her gradual building of many layers upon the page allows for a full complement of textures, tones and hues which brings great depth and complexity to her work. It is this simplicity of tools and traditional materials coupled with the timeless appeal of portraiture which fascinates Tamsin, creating a connection between the hand, the page, the subject and the viewer.

Tamsin currently has her coloured pencil portrait An Age of Indigo showing in the Pastel Society exhibition, which can be viewed online at the Mall Galleries website. In 2020 Tamsin was selected for both the Society of Women Artists and the ING Discerning Eye exhibition.

Having over a decade of professional experience in community work, followed by eight years of teaching drawing to people of all ages and abilities, building connections has always been at the heart of Tamsin’s work. This can be felt in her portraits as communicating the individuality of the subject is of paramount importance. There is an intimacy in portraiture that comes when you study the presence of another with such intensity, and this connection between the subject, the artist and the viewer is what makes these hand-drawn portraits so powerful.

When not making art, Tamsin enjoys spending time with her family, tending her vegetable garden and flowers, and exploring the ever-changing wildness of the surrounding landscapes.

Tamsin exhibits her work both locally and nationally and has been featured in art publications in the UK and the US. Her portraits hang in private collections internationally and she is a Professional Associate member of The SAA.