Tomy Jenkins
Illustrator and Painter

Tomy's work could be described as a regal carnival. He is Known for his angular illustrative style, use of vibrant colours and an ability to deify the most unlikely of subjects.

Tomy grew up in the old mining town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, where he has fond memories of a childhood filled with endless blue skies, burning terracotta houses and a big sister who was extremely good at drawing. the desire to be able to create worlds and characters on a page like his sister was the driving force behind Tomy pursuing an artistic career.

Graduating from the University of Huddersfield in 2008, Tomy continued his pursuits in both painting and illustration, refining his unique style into what it is today. Throughout his freelance career he has created scenery for theatre performance, sign art for independent cafes and produced concept art for a Leeds based animation studio all the while expanding the narrative of his own project; Miragae.

A photo of vials of different coloured inks on a table with a sketchbook. A ginger cat looks over in the background

Tomy was greatly influenced by the stylised work of Alphonse Mucha, from the artist's use of bold outlines and smooth gradients to the godly air of the figures depicted. He enjoyed the elegance and perfection in Mucha's work, and the streamlined elegance of the Art Deco period which followed, but the glamour depicted in these styles were a stark difference from the 70's build council estate Tomy grew up on. Tomy's father was a self-taught wood worker and his mother a seamstress and between them they made most of the furniture and upholstery in the family home as a way to save money. Though not the elegant style of Hollywood in the thirties, their work was far from crude. It was homely, with uneven wood carvings and rustic, asymmetrical pieces made to fit misshapen alcoves.

Medieval paintings acted as the gateway to introduce these two colliding ideals together. Their false perspectives and disproportionate figures captured that essence of home-made and self-educated skill using the resources available. Like his family home lacking machine manufactured accuracy of shop bought furniture, he saw the beauty and uniqueness of each hand crafted piece.

He brought these fond memories of his handmade family home and mining town surroundings into his work, combining it with the glamour and elegance of his previous streamlined influences to glorify imperfections and place them on a pedestal.

The theme of Tomy's work also strongly reflects the figures from his childhood. His mother was one of ten children and every Sunday the entire family would meet for afternoon tea at his Nanan's house, so he knew his extended family very well. It always captivated him how strong the family resemblance was between them with their Roman noses and heavy brows, yet their personalities were starkly different, especially between his Aunties. Each one had a strong, flamboyant character and observing them in conversation to him was on par to watching a theatrical performance. Tomy's love of his eccentric family are still one of his favourite themes for his artwork.

Tomy is a proud LGBTQIA+ artist.