Therese Urbanska graduated from Coleg Menai in 2004 – one of the first graduates on the new Fine Arts degree course held there in partnership with NEWI Wrexham. She was the winner of the Young Artist Award at the Spirit of Llyn Art Competition 2004 with her work ‘Dacw’r Bwthyn Gwyn’ in Mixed Media. In the earlier part of 2009 Tess was fortunate enough to be one of the several Artists involved in the ‘TIR’ project organised by the Oriel Plas Glyn Y Weddw (see web site for more details) and spent 10 weeks as Artist in Residence on the stunning Inis Oirr, one of the Aran Islands off the West coast of Ireland. There she was exposed to the extreme weather conditions that are an integral part of Island life, dramatic sea and skyscapes became every day occurrences that stored in her subconscious. When Tess returned to Wales the experience had had a profound effect on her painting and she began to concentrate on the dramatic sea and skyscapes that are in abundance around the coastline of the Lleyn.’