The current exhibition, Tom Lomax: A Week of Angels, will close tomorrow. It has been quite a momentous journey from the conception of the exhibition – to the opening – and right through to the end.
Tom arrived at Rook Lane Chapel on a sunny afternoon in May and was quite awe-stricken by the gallery. Immediately pulling out his tape measure, he began calculating various measurements and angles to determine how best to implement his sculpture in the space.
After five months of planning and building, printing and arranging – Tom arrived at Rook Lane with an army of work.
We laid it out then arranged the plinths and left them to set overnight. We returned to attach the miniature 3D prints the following morning, as well as hang the 2D CAD prints.
The private view that night was teeming with art, science, maths and angel enthusiasts – all keen to discuss Tom’s process and concept. His years of teaching at Slade, and general talent in telling captivating stories, result in what an artist friend of Tom’s referred to as the ‘Pied Piper effect’. And this is an accurate description. Throughout the private view – revellers immersed themselves in Tom’s fascinating explanations of his work.
Generously volunteering his expertise – Tom offered a weekend of workshops exploring form and materials, perspectives and subject matter. The participants left glowing – brimming with new ideas for their art practice and full of admiration for Tom.
Collette Lord wrote:
‘To have had the opportunity to walk through the gallery with the artist himself, to have him explain his work so carefully and with such passion, was a rare privilege – and what a great bloke he is… sensitive, fair, inspirational, educative, making it fun and making sure all of us received as much personal attention as was posssible. At the end of the day many simply did not want to leave, and stayed behind helping him clean up and chatting some more…’
Caroline Walsh-Waring said:
‘I just wanted to drop you a line about the workshops which were really great fun. It is always interesting to do these things, meet such a diverse set of people and discover their very different motivations for being there. But more than that Tom made the whole event so very relaxed and comfortable and it was a privilege to be able to take advantage of his knowledge, experience and expertise.’
David Davies described the workshops as:
‘…empowering, progressive, social, packed with practical content and completely absorbing.’
A truly inspiring artist and teacher – it has been a privilege to work with Tom, and to have his fascinating work arranged in the chapel. A last glimpse of his work before it leaves the gallery:
