Autobiography

		Teresa Witz was awarded a Doctorate in Fine Art at the University of East London in June 2008 entitled “Portraiture: Femininity & Style” She trained at Wolverhampton College of Art (BA Hons), Birmingham School of Art Education (PGCE & Art Therapy), Sir John Cass School of Art (Fine Art Practice), and the University of East London (MA Fine Art) followed by a one year Professional Studio Practice in preparation for her Doctorate. She has exhibited widely in London, including The Chambers Gallery, The Menier Gallery, 23 Underwood Street, Prenelle Floating Barge Gallery, The Shop Gallery, Jacobi Partnership, Whitechapel Art Gallery Restaurant/foyer, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Euston Station and Bow Arts. In the late 80’s she won a prize in the London Photography competition for her hand tinted black and white photographic portraits of homeless men from the City of London. There are various strands to Teresa's portraits. One has developed out of an interest in the power of iconic images in the contemporary mediatised world. Another strand focuses on figurative portraiture where she has sought to create dissonance by playing with the direction of the subjects gaze.  “My earlier work was primarily concerned with style and the vanitas (memento mori) theme, both of which have recurred throughout my paintings. This developed into an interest in creating contemporary iconic images of celebrity personalities. I selected certain ubiquitous celebrity icons, such as the footballer David Beckham, and his wife Victoria Beckham and pop stars Kylie Minogue and Cher, I was fascinated by how they continually re-invented themselves. I also started to explore ways of portraying ‘iconic unknowns’, which involved transforming ordinary, working women into modern icons. I started to explore different ways of presenting women by focusing in particular on the direction of their gaze, the extent of their absorption, the object of their gaze, the type of pose, the style of dress and the role of the observor. The final works that I produced for my doctorate exhibition were primarily concerned with feminity, style and celebrating women’s strengths by portraying them as strong, independent and challenging. Since completing the doctorate, my work has continued to evolve, and the invitation to be part of ‘The Art of Sport 2012’ project has inspired me to look at ways of capturing the spirit and the strength of these iconic athletes through my styles of portraiture."