Tina Underwood

Whether painting still life or landscape, oil painter Tina Underwood’s vision is the same: a passion for natural realism, the play of light, the beauty of place and things.  Working from life in her studio, she strives for a strong composition of vessels, flowers and other objects, and uses fabrics to create a sense of movement.  Out in the field, she paints studies of the landscape to be used for larger works in the studio.  The flow of light is a key element, inspired by the Dutch master painters. “It’s so Dutch!” is a comment on her work that she has heard more than once.  Well, yes, it is!

She was born to Dutch immigrant parents, who established a family garden center and landscaping business in Roxbury, Connecticut.  The ubiquitous Dutch tulip is a favorite subject of hers, of course, but she buys them for studio use, having given up growing them since they are a favorite food for the deer in rural Connecticut.

Tina received her B.A. Degree in Studio Art from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT and studied abroad in Lacoste, France, under the direction of Sarah Lawrence College.  She continued her studies with several artists, including Edward Spaulding DeVoe, of the Art Students League, NYC, who has carried on and teaches the traditions of Frank Mason and Edward Vincent Dumond.

She currently resides in Bridgewater, Connecticut, only four miles from her childhood home, where she continues to be inspired by flowers and the surrounding natural beauty of the land.