Tarnia Magee is a British artist and part‐time counsellor/psychotherapist whose portrait and figurative work explores the subtle movements of the inner self.
Drawing on her therapeutic background, she creates emotionally resonant images where realism meets abstraction, holding psychological tension, softness and transition quietly within the paint.
Her practice centres on the moments before change — the held breath, the friction beneath the surface, the slow unfolding of identity. Through shifts in atmosphere, symbolic elements and expressive mark‐making, Tarnia invites viewers into a reflective encounter with their own emotional landscape.
Her recent series, inspired by Carl Rogers’ Seven Stages of Process, traces three distinct points along an emotional journey. The painting called Distant reflects the defended separation of Stage 1; Shift captures the emerging openness and outward flow of Stage 4; and Radiance embodies the full presence and congruence of Stage 7. Together, these works explore how the self moves from distance to connection.
Alongside this series, Tarnia also paints wildlife and urban scenes with the same sensitivity to movement, energy and inner states. Balancing her art with her counselling work and everyday life, her paintings offer a compassionate, grounded look at the complexity of being human.