Discover the Art of Tomy Jenkins

Welcome to my portfolio, where fantasy meets narrative through vibrant illustrations and paintings inspired by diverse artistic movements.

Creative Collaborations Welcome

Commission Available

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.

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Tomy is a proud LGBTQIA+ artist.