Tess Mosko Scherer is known for her unique method of creating artwork. Her assemblages are created using paper, inscribing marks (sometimes words), pastel, colored pencil, watercolor, graphite, and Irish linen thread.
Variations of Voice Suite:
I am enough exactly as I am – Acceptance
I am enough exactly as I am right now – Acceptance
from the Variation of Voice II Series
This series explores areas where women regain their power through their voice. The background of each piece is inscribed with a word or phrase that represents a challenging area where women often lose themselves. The figure is covered with text that, when embodied, is the source of power through voice or choice. The words are written or printed with graphite and inscribed into the paper.
Grateful – Gratitude
Grateful – Gratitude
from the Variation of Voice II Series
This series explores areas where women regain their power through their voice. The background of each piece is inscribed with a word or phrase that represents a challenging area where women often lose themselves. The figure is covered with text that, when embodied, is the source of power through voice or choice. The words are written or printed with graphite and inscribed into the paper.
I forgive you I forgive myself – Compassion
I forgive you I forgive myself – Compassion
from Variations of Voice II series
This series explores areas where women regain their power through their voice. The background of each piece is inscribed with a word or phrase that represents a challenging area where women often lose themselves. The figure is covered with text that, when embodied, is the source of power through voice or choice. The words are written or printed with graphite and inscribed into the paper.
Let’s – Promise
Let’s – Promise
from the Variations of Voice II series
This series explores areas where women regain their power through their voice. The background of each piece is inscribed with a word or phrase that represents a challenging area where women often lose themselves. The figure is covered with text that, when embodied, is the source of power through voice or choice. The words are written or printed with graphite and inscribed into the paper.
I love you I love myself – LOVE
I Love You I Love Myself – Compassion
from the Variations of Voice II series
This series explores areas where women regain their power through their voice. The background of each piece is inscribed with a word or phrase that represents a challenging area where women often lose themselves. The figure is covered with text that, when embodied, is the source of power through voice or choice. The words are written or printed with graphite and inscribed into the paper.
No – Boundaries
No – Boundaries
from the Variations of Voice II series
This series explores areas where women regain their power through their voice. The background of each piece is inscribed with a word or phrase that represents a challenging area where women often lose themselves. The figure is covered with text that, when embodied, is the source of power through voice or choice. The words are written or printed with graphite and inscribed into the paper.
Yes – Risk
Yes – Risk
from the Variations of Voice II series
This series explores areas where women regain their power through their voice. The background of each piece is inscribed with a word or phrase that represents a challenging area where women often lose themselves. The figure is covered with text that, when embodied, is the source of power through voice or choice. The words are written or printed with graphite and inscribed into the paper.
The Invitation III
The Invitation III
In a world turned upside down by a tumultuous few years, we all, but particularly our youth, have faced the challenges of a pandemic, civil unrest, climate crises, and war. As an artist and a Crone I seek to discover inner peace amidst this chaos.
‘The Invitation’ is a series of pieces designed to remind us of the importance of inner tranquility. Each piece radiates a sense of joy and serenity surrounding the central figure. Embedded within the body are the following words:
‘May there be peace within.
Trust in your infinite potential.
Embrace your gifts to their fullest extent.
Invite your soul to sing, dance, and love.’
This series serves as a respite, inviting viewers to reflect on finding peace and empowerment within themselves, even amid the chaos of our contemporary world.
The Invitation I
The Invitation I
In a world turned upside down by a tumultuous few years, we all, but particularly our youth, have faced the challenges of a pandemic, civil unrest, climate crises, and war. As an artist and a Crone I seek to discover inner peace amidst this chaos.
‘The Invitation’ is a series of pieces designed to remind us of the importance of inner tranquility. Each piece radiates a sense of joy and serenity surrounding the central figure. Embedded within the body are the following words:
‘May there be peace within.
Trust in your infinite potential.
Embrace your gifts to their fullest extent.
Invite your soul to sing, dance, and love.’
This series serves as a respite, inviting viewers to reflect on finding peace and empowerment within themselves, even amid the chaos of our contemporary world.
The Invitation II
The Invitation II
In a world turned upside down by a tumultuous few years, we all, but particularly our youth, have faced the challenges of a pandemic, civil unrest, climate crises, and war. As an artist and a Crone I seek to discover inner peace amidst this chaos.
‘The Invitation’ is a series of pieces designed to remind us of the importance of inner tranquility. Each piece radiates a sense of joy and serenity surrounding the central figure. Embedded within the body are the following words:
‘May there be peace within.
Trust in your infinite potential.
Embrace your gifts to their fullest extent.
Invite your soul to sing, dance, and love.’
This series serves as a respite, inviting viewers to reflect on finding peace and empowerment within themselves, even amid the chaos of our contemporary world.
Observation of Self IV
Observation of Self IV
21 x 24 framed
pastel, colored pencil, Irish lienen thread on paper
I live an examined life. My studio is a place to excavate human emotions and archetypal energies of human nature and explore the imbalance between the complex machinations of the inner world of our thoughts, and the outer world in which we are seen. In that regard, my work is metaphoric and biographical.
Observing myself in middle age has been fraught with challenge and curiosity. No longer bound by the roles of my past, I find myself examining the parts of myself that had been left untended. This work isn’t about becoming a middle-aged woman, it is about understanding myself through a different lens.
Looking at my life through the lens of Change, I embrace the quiet stillness of Solitude and understand its permeable nature. I find myself thinking about where I hold back and where I let go. My silence is monochromatic. A soft, quiet where I pause between breaths.
There is an intimate quality to my work which is revealed when experienced up close. Subtle detail, texture, and words, are found in the compositions of simplified forms and color in this series. Working with water color, pastels, colored pencils and graphite on paper, which is often incised and torn. The torn pieces are sewn together with waxed Irish linen thread. The stitches convey complex and universal themes of our experiences: the holding on and the letting go.
Observation of Self I
Observation of Self I
21 x 24 framed
pastel, colored pencil, Irish lienen thread on paper
I live an examined life. My studio is a place to excavate human emotions and archetypal energies of human nature and explore the imbalance between the complex machinations of the inner world of our thoughts, and the outer world in which we are seen. In that regard, my work is metaphoric and biographical.
Observing myself in middle age has been fraught with challenge and curiosity. No longer bound by the roles of my past, I find myself examining the parts of myself that had been left untended. This work isn’t about becoming a middle-aged woman, it is about understanding myself through a different lens.
Looking at my life through the lens of Change, I embrace the quiet stillness of Solitude and understand its permeable nature. I find myself thinking about where I hold back and where I let go. My silence is monochromatic. A soft, quiet where I pause between breaths.
There is an intimate quality to my work which is revealed when experienced up close. Subtle detail, texture, and words, are found in the compositions of simplified forms and color in this series. Working with water color, pastels, colored pencils and graphite on paper, which is often incised and torn. The torn pieces are sewn together with waxed Irish linen thread. The stitches convey complex and universal themes of our experiences: the holding on and the letting go.
Letting Go XV
Letting Go XIV
A symbol for nourishment of mind, body, and spirit, Rice has been in my art off and on throughout the years. Embossing rice into the paper creates a new kind of mark. Mark making is an integral part of my work. Some marks form letters or words, create texture or patterns, or are formed by stitching. These marks create a structured chaos or uniform sizes and shapes. After embossing, I work the pastels into the surface of the paper, spraying a clear fixative between the layers. Often as many as 12 layers of color are built up to create depth and luminosity. There is an ancient story from China about traps of hollowed-out coconuts filled with cooked rice that were left along a path frequented by monkeys. There was a hole in each one about the size of a monkey’s open hand. Once the monkeys fisted the rice, they could not pull their hand out through the now too-small opening. The monkeys who let go went on to find abundance in the jungle while the monkeys who did not were trapped. This parable invites us to ask ourselves: what is our rice? and what are we holding on to? (adapted from The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepro). pastel, colored pencil, graphite with thread on paper
Letting Go XVIII
Letting Go XVIII
A symbol for nourishment of mind, body, and spirit, Rice has been in my art off and on throughout the years. Embossing rice into the paper creates a new kind of mark. Mark making is an integral part of my work. Some marks form letters or words, create texture or patterns, or are formed by stitching. These marks create a structured chaos or uniform sizes and shapes. After embossing, I work the pastels into the surface of the paper, spraying a clear fixative between the layers. Often as many as 12 layers of color are built up to create depth and luminosity. There is an ancient story from China about traps of hollowed-out coconuts filled with cooked rice that were left along a path frequented by monkeys. There was a hole in each one about the size of a monkey’s open hand. Once the monkeys fisted the rice, they could not pull their hand out through the now too-small opening. The monkeys who let go went on to find abundance in the jungle while the monkeys who did not were trapped. This parable invites us to ask ourselves: what is our rice? and what are we holding on to? (adapted from The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepro). pastel, colored pencil, graphite with thread on paper
Letting Go XVII
Letting Go XVII
A symbol for nourishment of mind, body, and spirit, Rice has been in my art off and on throughout the years. Embossing rice into the paper creates a new kind of mark. Mark making is an integral part of my work. Some marks form letters or words, create texture or patterns, or are formed by stitching. These marks create a structured chaos or uniform sizes and shapes. After embossing, I work the pastels into the surface of the paper, spraying a clear fixative between the layers. Often as many as 12 layers of color are built up to create depth and luminosity. There is an ancient story from China about traps of hollowed-out coconuts filled with cooked rice that were left along a path frequented by monkeys. There was a hole in each one about the size of a monkey’s open hand. Once the monkeys fisted the rice, they could not pull their hand out through the now too-small opening. The monkeys who let go went on to find abundance in the jungle while the monkeys who did not were trapped. This parable invites us to ask ourselves: what is our rice? and what are we holding on to? (adapted from The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepro). pastel, colored pencil, graphite with thread on paper
Letting Go XVI
Letting Go XVI
A symbol for nourishment of mind, body, and spirit, Rice has been in my art off and on throughout the years. Embossing rice into the paper creates a new kind of mark. Mark making is an integral part of my work. Some marks form letters or words, create texture or patterns, or are formed by stitching. These marks create a structured chaos or uniform sizes and shapes. After embossing, I work the pastels into the surface of the paper, spraying a clear fixative between the layers. Often as many as 12 layers of color are built up to create depth and luminosity. There is an ancient story from China about traps of hollowed-out coconuts filled with cooked rice that were left along a path frequented by monkeys. There was a hole in each one about the size of a monkey’s open hand. Once the monkeys fisted the rice, they could not pull their hand out through the now too-small opening. The monkeys who let go went on to find abundance in the jungle while the monkeys who did not were trapped. This parable invites us to ask ourselves: what is our rice? and what are we holding on to? (adapted from The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepro). pastel, colored pencil, graphite with thread on paper
Letting Go XIV
Letting Go XIV
A symbol for nourishment of mind, body, and spirit, Rice has been in my art off and on throughout the years. Embossing rice into the paper creates a new kind of mark. Mark making is an integral part of my work. Some marks form letters or words, create texture or patterns, or are formed by stitching. These marks create a structured chaos or uniform sizes and shapes. After embossing, I work the pastels into the surface of the paper, spraying a clear fixative between the layers. Often as many as 12 layers of color are built up to create depth and luminosity. There is an ancient story from China about traps of hollowed-out coconuts filled with cooked rice that were left along a path frequented by monkeys. There was a hole in each one about the size of a monkey’s open hand. Once the monkeys fisted the rice, they could not pull their hand out through the now too-small opening. The monkeys who let go went on to find abundance in the jungle while the monkeys who did not were trapped. This parable invites us to ask ourselves: what is our rice? and what are we holding on to? (adapted from The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepro).
pastel, colored pencil, graphite with thread on paper
Joy
Joy
11 x 14.5 unframed |16 x 20 framed
Pastel, colored pencil, graphite and Irish linen thread on paper
from the WHEN WOMEN WERE BIRDS SERIES
A nod to the book by Terry Tempest Williams.
I first read the book in 2017 and it has haunted me since. Essentially, Terry is working through the life lessons instilled by her mother as well as those from her own experiences. It is a powerful read, and has left me thinking about myself, my experiences, and how they relate to my Mother’s. I long to have those conversations with her and can do that through art making. My Mother has been a strong influence in my life despite her passing decades ago.
My Mother had a bird. I inherited my love for birds from my mother. I am surrounded by birds on our urban farm. Our chickens and gardens invite feathered friends to partake in their bounty. Pigeons, doves, parrots, hummingbirds, and wrens are regular visitors while a few ducks make our home a stop in their migration. I do not take these meetings for granted and glean lessons and meaning from these encounters. Birds teach me to soar, to nest, to tend, and to be patient. For me, their symbolism and lessons are varied, often deeply personal.
Is about the importance of relationships and connection.
She Remembered II
She Remembered II
Pastel, colored pencil, graphite and Irish linen thread on paper
16 x 20 framed
This poem was written after the reversal of Roe v Wade and reading about the varied responses of women. Stunned by some women’s complacency about the overturning, I found myself depressed. This coincided with my recent marriage. Even though we have been together for a few years, once married, it felt different. There is a dance in retaining independence while becoming an US. The poem I wrote emerged from the convergence of these two events.
In the background, I inscribed the words, ‘We must not forget we must always remember’. In the figure, I wrote with graphite this poem:
She forgot.
She forgot the power of her voice.
She forgot the power of her mind.
She forgot the power of her imagination.
She forgot the power of her choice.
Silently wrapped in the Chrysalis of Time
She wept the tears of one thousand hearts.
Patiently she waited for herself to remember.
To remember the power of her voice.
To remember the power of her mind.
To remember the power of her imagination.
To remember the power of her choice.
To Remember herself.
-Tess Mosko Scherer
She Remembered III
She Remembered III
Pastel, colored pencil, graphite and Irish linen thread on paper
16 x 20 framed
This poem was written after the reversal of Roe v Wade and reading about the varied responses of women. Stunned by some women’s complacency about the overturning, I found myself depressed. This coincided with my recent marriage. Even though we have been together for a few years, once married, it felt different. There is a dance in retaining independence while becoming an US. The poem I wrote emerged from the convergence of these two events.
In the background, I inscribed the words, ‘We must not forget we must always remember’. In the figure, I wrote with graphite this poem:
She forgot.
She forgot the power of her voice.
She forgot the power of her mind.
She forgot the power of her imagination.
She forgot the power of her choice.
Silently wrapped in the Chrysalis of Time
She wept the tears of one thousand hearts.
Patiently she waited for herself to remember.
To remember the power of her voice.
To remember the power of her mind.
To remember the power of her imagination.
To remember the power of her choice.
To Remember herself.
-Tess Mosko Scherer
The Crone I
The Crone I
Pastel, colored pencil, graphite and Irish linen thread on paper
16 x 20 framed
From the WHEN WOMEN WERE BIRDS SERIES, a nod to the book by Terry Tempest Williams. I first read the book in 2017 and it has haunted me since. Essentially, Terry is working through the life lessons instilled by her mother as well as those from her own experiences. It is a powerful read, and has left me thinking about myself, my experiences, and how they relate to my Mother’s. I long to have those conversations with her and can do that through art making. My Mother has been a strong influence in my life despite her passing decades ago.
The Crone represents patience and wisdom that comes from a lifetime of experiences.
The Crone II
The Crone II
Pastel, colored pencil, graphite and Irish linen thread on paper
18 x 21 x 2 framed
From the WHEN WOMEN WERE BIRDS SERIES, a nod to the book by Terry Tempest Williams. I first read the book in 2017 and it has haunted me since. Essentially, Terry is working through the life lessons instilled by her mother as well as those from her own experiences. It is a powerful read, and has left me thinking about myself, my experiences, and how they relate to my Mother’s. I long to have those conversations with her and can do that through art making. My Mother has been a strong influence in my life despite her passing decades ago.
The Crone represents patience and wisdom that comes from a lifetime of experiences.
The Woundedness of Being Human
The Woundedness of Being Human
18 x 20.5 framed
pastel, colored pencil, Irish lienen thread on paper
This piece was created shortly after my oldest sister sustained a brain injury. It affected her executive functioning and left her incapable of tending to herself. Her care and quality of life fell into the hands of all the siblings. Although the seven of us rallied together on her behalf, the injury took its toll on us as a family. This piece was created as I grappled with the grief, the disbelief, the added responsibilities, and the opening of old wounds from the dysfunctional dynamics that often accompanies a large catholic family such as ours.
Although titled the Woundedness of Being Human, it faces the duality that resides in each of us. The duality of being human insists that we sift through the chaos in pursuit of personal truth to discover our unique inner lightness of being. In doing so, we discover the uniqueness of our own humanity. The duality of being human is that we sift through the chaos to recognize our individually and our role in the collective, our impact on the collective consciousness, and our dependency on being part of something greater than ourselves.
14.5 x 24 framed
Boxed In
Boxed In
Pastel, graphite, with Irish linen thread on paper
10 x 15 unframed |25.5 x 20.5 framed
This series emerged as I prepared to go to China in 2018 to facilitate a program on leadership to college students for the World Academy for the Future of Women. While there, I would also facilitate art experiences rural villagers for a WAFW program called give Voice to Women through the Arts, funded by a US State Department grant.
While making this piece, I was thinking about my perceptions of the Chinese culture and communism. I was curious about how much autonomy people have living in a communist country. How big is the box of their lives? How boxed in do they feel?
We all have the boxes of our lives, whether they are self-imposed, or government enforced, or formed by some other outside force. How we navigate, climb out or into the next box or tether to another, separates and unites us.
Unbound I
Unbound I
pastel, colored pencil, graphite with Irish linen thread on paper
Image 10 x 11 | Framed 22 x 30
These are the first two pieces in a series of about 100 pieces where I examine the aspect of Longing. Longing without risk leads to a life of unrealized dreams and misplaced possibilities. How much you want something is proportionate to the risk you are willing to take to achieve it. Risk is so different for each of us. For one it may be hosting a dinner party, for another, a change in career. For another it is saying I love you, for someone else, it is saying I don’t. Risk is being All-In, saying Yes!. It is Stretching – emotionally, spiritually, physically, or intellectually. Longing is the essential road map that leads to Risk.
Symbolically, the book-like structure represents us as both, a collective and individual. It was created from one sheet of paper, torn, soaked, and peeled apart. The paper curls and folds naturally in reaction, much like how our own lives are shaped by events. It is purposely left blank, leaving the fibrous scars formed from the pulling apart. Beautiful. Rough. Scarred. Every WoMan. The thread– the binding – is unraveling, yielding to the force of the paper as it curls into itself.
Unbound II
Unbound II
pastel, colored pencil, graphite with Irish linen thread on paper
Image 10 x 11 | Framed 22 x 30
These are the first two pieces in a series of about 100 pieces where I examine the aspect of Longing. Longing without risk leads to a life of unrealized dreams and misplaced possibilities. How much you want something is proportionate to the risk you are willing to take to achieve it. Risk is so different for each of us. For one it may be hosting a dinner party, for another, a change in career. For another it is saying I love you, for someone else, it is saying I don’t. Risk is being All-In, saying Yes!. It is Stretching – emotionally, spiritually, physically, or intellectually. Longing is the essential road map that leads to Risk.
Symbolically, the book-like structure represents us as both, a collective and individual. It was created from one sheet of paper, torn, soaked, and peeled apart. The paper curls and folds naturally in reaction, much like how our own lives are shaped by events. It is purposely left blank, leaving the fibrous scars formed from the pulling apart. Beautiful. Rough. Scarred. Every WoMan. The thread– the binding – is unraveling, yielding to the force of the paper as it curls into itself.