ABOUT TOM

Tom Fox was a Limerick based artist who regrettably passed away suddenly at the premature age of 44 in September 2010, in the midst of preparing for an exhibition of his work. Thankfully he has left us with a superb catalogue of his finished pieces which are the basis of this exhibition, and which serve as a fitting reminder of Tom, his life, and his work.

Tom graduated from L.S.A.D. in 2001 with BA Degree in Fine Art Painting and went on to exhibit his work in numerous solo shows: ‘Hobbyhorse’ in the Limerick Printmakers Gallery; ‘Ordo’ in the Normoyle Frawley Gallery, and inclusion in ‘Inertia and Beyond’ at the Black Mariah Gallery, Cork; ‘Inscapes’ at the ThinkkCreative Gallery, Limerick; ‘A Hybrid Account’ at the Bank of Ireland Art Centre, Dublin; Iontas Small Works Competition in Sligo and Quadrant at the Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick. He has also had paintings exhibited in New York and Hong Kong.

Kilfinane in the heart of the Ballyhoura Valley was Toms’ base for his work, the influence of which can be seen in many of his paintings, via his interest in nature and the landscape around him. His works were also heavily incluenced by the graffiti/expressionist painters of New York of the 80’s, in particular by Jean-Michel Basquiat, and also by the works of writer Charles Bukowski. Those close to Tom will know of his passion for music: The Stone Roses, Nirvana, Joy Division and in particular The Smiths, whose lyrics were a huge influence on him and can be found throughout his paintings, and indeed provided the title for this newly launched website.

Limerick School of Art & Design are delighted to host this showing of Toms’ work. It is an institution where Tom thrived, where his ideas were challenged and where his creativity flourished, and thus is a fitting venue for his peers within the artistic community to recognise and celebrate both his life and his work.

Never one to constrain himself, Tom also had a constant desire to express himself using methods other than his paint and canvas. He displayed a keen interest in areas of new media such as video editing, and was always enthusiastic about using the web as another vessel to promote his work. With this in mind, the creation of a website to accompany this exhibition is seen as the ideal way for Toms’ work to be kept for posterity and accessible at all times.