Artwork Description:

Title: Friar Gate Bridge, Derby

Friar Gate Bridge is an iconic landmark in Derby, formerly a station before the Beeching cuts in 1964 is also the inspiration for the 1927 song “Underneath the arches” by Flannagan and Allen.  I chose to depict the scene by night to allow for the interesting reflection of light from the wet pavement and the glow from the red telephone box which, along with the bridge is a listed building.

Oil on wooden panel

Artist Bio:

Working quickly with a fountain pen, waterproof ink and watercolour, Tom captures views of cafes, city streets and rural views in an urban sketch style.  Some of these are worked into larger pictures back in the studio using pen and wash or oil.  Sometimes an image demands to be painted and battles a path via sketches and photographs to be released from just an idea to become a finished piece of work.

Tom has always been fascinated by our impact on the landscape and started sketching the urban environment of cafes, railway stations and airports while travelling for work.  Now Tom can often be found sketching and painting in and around Derby and enjoys chatting to onlookers about art techniques, the history of local buildings or where to find the best coffee and cake.