A collection of images by painter and former Principal of Falmouth
School of Art, Tom Cross, has been digitised and made available online
via the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS). The collection was kindly
donated to University College Falmouth by his widow Pat Cross who is
keen to ensure the legacy of Tom's work continues and inspires students
and artists alike, following his death in 2009.
Whilst in the role of Principal from 1976 to 1987, Tom Cross produced
many paintings and drawings inspired by Cornwall's landscapes and
seascapes. He felt it was important for students to be taught by
practising artists and invited many key characters from the St. Ives art
scene to teach at the College. Prior to his time at Falmouth, Tom lived
and worked all around the country and abroad, and was influenced by a
range of popular styles including French Modernism and Russian
Constructivism, making him a key British twentieth century artist.
University College Falmouth acquired the Tom Cross Archive in 2010. The
archive provides a personal account of the life and work of the artist
and former Principal through sketchbooks, diary entries, news-cuttings
and exhibition catalogues.
Following the donation of the archive, Pat Cross also donated a
substantial collection of Tom’s slides of paintings and drawings, which
the University College has uploaded into its database 'The Image Space'
for learning, teaching and research at University College Falmouth. Out
of this collection, Pat has also kindly donated a selection of images
for public access via VADS, as she was keen to share the prolific work
of her late husband with a wider audience. Pat and the Image Collections
Co-ordinator from University College Falmouth made the selection
together, based on works which Pat thought were key in Tom’s career and
which showed a cross section of the range of work from different periods.
To view images from the Tom Cross Archive on VADS, please see:
http://www.vads.ac.uk/collections/TCA
A case study on the digitisation of the collection at University College
Falmouth has also been made available on the JISC-funded Look-here!
project website at:
http://www.vads.ac.uk/lookhere/casestudies
For up to date information on forthcoming workshops and free visits
please see the online ARLIS/UK & Ireland Events Calendar 2011 at
http://www.arlis.org.uk/
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