Anthony (Tony) Tomkinson
Army, Painter
Memories of Anthony’s childhood hold for him an equal mixture of military life and art. Although born in Queensland, Anthony’s father was in the army, which saw the family live in Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.
“I used to draw all the time. I always wanted to be an artist,” Anthony recalls.
Attending primary school outside of Australia, Anthony was encouraged with his art which saw him win prizes for painting. He and one other student were selected to take a special course in oil painting, which reinforced his love of the medium.
Sadly, he hid his love of painting as an adolescent, when he felt negated by a teacher in his high school art class, putting his brushes aside during this time.
After leaving school, Anthony began an apprenticeship as a painter and decorator. However, he was drawn to the army by what it had to offer. Anthony’s military career was largely in Royal Australian Signals Corp, seeing him sent to England on exchange, to serve with the British Army. Remaining there for two years, the small, coastal village where Anthony lived, was in heavy fog for much of the year.
Anthony and his wife enjoyed all aspects of this deployment, becoming part of the tiny, rural community while also keeping the communication channels open with the Royal Air Force base there. Living in England also gave them the opportunity to stretch their travel legs and they saw as much of Britain and Europe as they could.
“My original aim at realism in my work led me to ask myself, ‘Why paint a photo? I can take an excellent photo, if that’s what I’m aiming for’.”
This meandering also showed Anthony the world of the Great Masters, and he was particularly drawn to Monet. It was not Monet’s paintings of lilies that he appreciated however, but his interpretation of nature on a much larger scale.
“I was inspired by the power of art,” says Anthony.
It was during this time that Anthony discovered that his desire to paint was merely hidden, not gone from his life. Upon leaving the army, Anthony made the decision to make art his life’s work.
“Again, I had to put it on a temporary hold. I still had to make a living. But I held onto the dream until I retired,” Anthony recalls.
Anthony and his wife retired to a small coastal town in Victoria, which was reminiscent of the village they lived in when they were in England. Always drawn to portraiture as well as nature, Anthony finally had the opportunity to inject his time and passion into his art.
He began to take art courses and interacted with other veteran artists, who gave genuine encouragement and advice to each other about their work.
“My original aim at Realism in my work led me to ask myself, ‘Why paint a photo? I can take an excellent photo, if that’s what I’m aiming for’.”
His work began to contain a deeper meaning and an individual interpretation.
In his portraiture, Anthony creates canvases that show the nature of his subject. One such painting is of Rach which, in his own words, he describes as “quirky”.
“She turned up at our Unit as a young digger. She was mischievous but good-hearted and never gave up when the odds seemed insurmountable. I tried to show the battle in her that almost all soldiers carry. At times, giving strength and, at others, being the one who needs the strength of her peers.”
Since his retirement from the army, Anthony has developed into a skilled oil painter, building a significant body of work in his home studio where he paints for at least two hours each day. He now laughs as he heeds the comment of a curator friend who tells him to be “controversial.” Anthony enjoys this approach, as his art finally takes him to where he has always wanted to be.
He, proudly and finally, is an artist.
