Tom Cross

Tom Cross Art

Biography

Born in Manchester, Tom trained at the Slade School and spend 2 years travelling and painting in Italy and France.  On his return he worked for the Arts Council in Wales, later becoming Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Reading University during an important period of its development. 
In 1976 he moved to Cornwall as principal of the prestigious Falmouth School of Art.
Tom exhibited widely in Cornwall, Wales, London, Australia, the Middle East and the United States.


Tom's books Painting the Warmth of the Sun, The Shining Sands and Catching the Wave are standard works on the history of the Newlyn and St Ives Schools.  His last book, HELFORD - A River and Some Landscapes, is a beautifully illustrated account of his time spent living on and painting the Helford River.

  • Trained at Manchester School of Art.  Awarded the Proctor Scholarship, the Plimmer Scholarship and the silver Medal for Paining of the Royal Manchester Institution.  Founder Member of the Northern Young Artists Association 1949-53.
  • Studied at the Slade School of Art, University of London, President of the Slade Society.
  • Awarded the Robert Stanbury Post-Graduate Scholarship 1953-56.
  • Awarded the Abbey Minor Scholarship.  Worked at the British School in Rome and travelled in northern Italy.
  • Awarded the French Government Scholarship and worked for a year in Paris and in the south of France 1956-58.
  • Assistant Director of the Welsh Arts Council, Cardiff 1959-63.
  • Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Reading. (Senior Lecturer 1969-76) 1963-76.
  • Visiting Professor for 6 months at Ohio State University, Columbus, USA 1971.
  • Principal of Falmouth School of Art.  Member of the Penwith Society of Artists, St Ives. Later Chairman of the Penwith Galleries Ltd 1976-87.
  • Elected Member of the London Group 1978.
  • Visiting Professor at the Simons Centre for the Arts, College of Charleston, South Carolina, USA 1983-84.
  • External Examiner in Art and in Art History, the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and at the University of Exeter.  Lecturer in Continuing Education, University of Exeter 1989-94.
  • Examiner in Fine Art to the Dublin Institute of Technology 1998-2000.
  • Lecturer for the National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies (NADFAS) 1994-2003.