For this month’s Artist Spotlight, Charlotte Colley sits down with Sheffield-based artist Thomas Fowler to discover what drives his surrealist artwork and painted ink creations…
Could you tell us how you first got involved in art and any of your early artistic influences?
I’ve always been naturally drawn to art. When I was a kid, I was constantly drawing and sketching. I loved computer games, such as Warhammer, and always wished I could draw like that. It all led me to study illustration at Liverpool John Moores University, where I got into painting with ink. I always say I’ve been painting since 2011 because that’s when I started university.
A lot of your artwork seems to be inspired by travel. Does that come from your own experiences?
Definitely. I started travelling in 2015 when I went to Vietnam with a friend, and since then, I’ve been completely taken over by the idea of living abroad. It’s my main passion outside of painting, so I started teaching English abroad. I lived mostly in Thailand but worked in Taiwan for a few months over COVID, so a lot of the imagery I use in my artwork is inspired by Asia. I just love the aesthetic – there’s a very defined and recognisable style. When I was younger, I used to draw loads of samurais, and that still influences my ideas today.
Hybridity features a lot throughout your work. What is the purpose of combining different elements and creating abstract pieces?
I like to see things I don’t normally see in real life or interpretations done in a way that makes me think that’s amazing. In a way, it’s escapism. At the moment, I’m developing my visual language, but I’m drawn to surrealism and art that makes people think how’s he done that? The narrative is typically surrealist escapism – things that are a bit bizarre. I just like creating feelings of wonder and amazement.
Your most recent project was your illustrative work for Postmodern Hustle, a story book by Sheffield writer Akeem Balogun. What was your favourite part of the process?
My favourite part was seeing my work printed and contextualised with a really good story – it looked so professional. It was a challenge because I had to interpret what Akeem was thinking without a reference, relying purely on my imagination, which is much harder to do. Since university, I’ve never seen my work published in that way, so seeing it in print was really satisfying.
What messages and values do you hope people take away from your artwork?
I want people to think that imagination is great and that being able to create from it is a valuable skill. Also, a lot of hard work and practice go into art and painting, so I hope people see that effort leads to great work. I want them to be impressed, to wonder, and to feel inspired to be imaginative. I also want to give people a sense of escape from reality – because reality can be quite hard, especially nowadays. Art is great, and hopefully, people feel inspired to try it when they see my work.
For my last question, what advice would you give to aspiring artists?
If you love art or the idea of it, then I think you should go to university and do an art degree. For me, I love painting – not necessarily the art industry itself. I don’t get as much from art as other people, but I love the process of creating.
If you want to be an artist, you have to be prepared to develop many other skills. You have to learn to be a businessperson, build a network, and, if you’re not naturally social, become more outgoing. You also need to learn how to use social media and market yourself – something I struggle with. My other advice would be to go into graphic design. That way, you can be creative, earn a paycheck, and still work on your personal art. Ultimately, you just have to know how to promote yourself and put your work in the right places – there will always be someone who likes your art.
