Terence McKenna originally studied at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama but subsequently pursued a career in illustration.
Recent years have been devoted to painting, in particular portraiture, and the work has been widely admired, notably by the late Jacob Rothschild.
His studio is situated among 15 acres of woodland in Norfolk, England, where he and his partner, Miranda Jaquarello, who he met at drama school, have lived for many years.
Alongside their professional work, they maintain and develop the woodland as a conservation project.
The study of people through art is a lifelong occupation and is at the heart of Terence McKenna’s work.
The portrait painters he admires most are those who have the ability to reveal their subjects without the need to romanticise or add comment, bringing them to life with a compassionate but truthful realism; Velasquez, Frans Hals, Goya, Sorolla, Van Gogh, in particular.
Lucien Freud and Paula Rego are important among recent painters; Freud for his intense and uncompromising eye and his bloody-mindedness, Rego for her brilliant ability to weave the vivid world of the imagination into her consciousness of the real world, rendered with the highest levels of artistic skill and observation.
Van Gogh
Portrait of a Woman with her Hair Loose.
In his own portrait work, Terence McKenna seeks to find a warmth of feeling in his subjects, and to present them in a way that they recognise as a truthful reflexion of themselves.
He regards it as a privilege to study another person so intimately, and working in portraiture is an endless journey of human discovery. The opportunity to meet and get to know so many different people from so many different backgrounds is a richly rewarding experience.
Portrait of Errol Lloyd
Portrait of Errol Lloyd
Portrait of Errol Lloyd