Tercel's studies of the female form are, as Linda Herrick notes, "portraits of young women whose sensuality is matched by the sensuality of the paint." Often delineating outlines with thick, strong black lines and emphasising the ripples of bone and muscle under skin, Tercel's work has a raw, expressive quality suggestive both of the violence of emotional states and of the powerful mechanics of the body itself. The women he paints are alternately bold, almost aggressive, and vulnerable, set against torn wallpaper, graffiti, peeling facades and crumbling brick walls or against softer patterned fabrics and white bedsheets. As T J McNamara observes, Tercel's images confront "the bizarre realities of bodies and personalities", often exaggerated and even grotesque, yet they also offer a glimpse into the solitude of an inner life.