Travel plays a central role in Tom’s process. He photographs the places he visits and collects newspapers, magazines and printed ephemera along the way, later incorporating fragments into his compositions. A crossword may become part of a building, a piece of text might disappear into a shopfront, while maps, headlines and imagery introduce details that reward a closer look.

That fascination with text can be traced back to a visit to Uzès in the South of France in 2004, where Tom was struck by faded hand-painted advertising on old buildings, alongside bright awnings, shuttered façades and weathered stone. The experience helped shape his interest in bringing words and typography into his paintings.

His background in illustration is equally important. Tom graduated with first-class honours in General Illustration, and his influences range from Monet and Cézanne to Norman Rockwell, Ralph Steadman and the poster artist A. M. Cassandre. That mix helps explain the balance within his work: painterly atmosphere, strong graphic structure and an illustrator’s eye for narrative detail.

What makes the finished work so engaging is that the city is never simply reproduced. Familiar landmarks become part of a broader story, with hidden details and fragments waiting to be discovered.

From Found Material to Finished Artwork

Tom’s mixed-media approach keeps the creative process deliberately unpredictable. Photographs provide a starting point, while painted marks, collage, printed fragments and typography are layered together to build depth, texture and atmosphere.

Found material can take on an entirely new role within the composition: a scrap of newspaper may become architecture, a printed word may sit within a façade, and a familiar image can be reworked until it becomes part of the city itself.

The result is work that feels immediately recognisable from a distance, yet becomes increasingly detailed the closer you look.