Artist Tess Fowler’s dishonesty and lack of integrity are no secret to those who follow my blog, or to those who were looking forward to the book she took a lot of my money to do art for and then did not deliver. And I’m not the only poor, unfortunate soul who has fallen victim to her; as I’ve reported before, I’ve heard from several others whom she’s ripped off. Those folks chose not to go public with their accounts, for which they have their reasons, but it’s unfortunate because it contributes to the vulnerability of others who may hire her and be likewise victimized.
But another of her marks has finally come forward, eager to share his story.
I don’t know Wayne Bertrand, Jr. He lives in Texas, and is apparently into tattoos and motorcycles. He is also an avid activist for child welfare, and a member of BACA, Bikers Against Child Abuse.
Wayne was a big fan of Tess Fowler’s art, which is why he commissioned her to do a special painting for him, for which he paid her $300. Months passed and no painting was forthcoming. When Wayne contacted her, she deflected his queries saying she was working on it.
Ultimately, Wayne complained to PayPal to try to get his money back, but a lot of time had passed, and Tess promised the service she would honor the deal and throw in a couple of extra pieces for Wayne’s trouble.
Then she blocked Wayne on social media and ignored all further attempts at communication.
That was over two years ago. Wayne has never received any artwork, nor any of his money back.
Toward the end of his message to me, Wayne summed Tess up as well as anyone ever could:
She is a crook. Sad thing is I like her artwork.
It’s a shame that someone with Tess’s gifts chooses to use them as bait to steal money from her fans.
UPDATE: Tess victimizes the creator of the comic Rat Queens and his wife. Read it here.