Catherine Tomkins Art

Dreams are Voices of Ancestors

An altar, the size of a room

A realm of ancestry

opulent and imposing

A sense of place creating a refuge - Solace

My mind, my work, is focused on companionship

lineage and in particular, the exploration of dreamscapes

The hazy days; this is the palette I draw from

Surreal creatures became my companions

I incorporate the presence of this room

the companions, the altar

and the home into my existence and theirs - the companions - into mine

My eyes are relaxed

Through my work we share our existence

I feel their eyes

I feel safe

I am warm, wombed and cocooned

They - the companions- usher me to be curious, to inquire

And when I am immersed in this process

They are Here

They are with me and I, with them.

Catherine Tomkins is an Irish born, Vietnam based artist. She graduated from the Crawford School of Fine Art with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art, in 2007 Her work explores ideas of identity, often utilising the female form, animals, skeletal structures all set in narrative based and fantastical surreal scenes

In her work she is concerned with and explores ideas of the female gaze. She is also working with ideas of lineage, intergenerational trauma and the connection between those who have come before us and who we are as a result.

“Painting has always been the most natural thing in the world for me. The practice and process allows me to tap into that which is not expressible through words, it is a methodical, meditative and intuitive process which awakens so much, allowing partly formed or fragmented ideas to emerge and take shape in the image”, she explains. “ It’s also an incredibly playful process and though the subject matter may seem dark, I try to find humour and beauty in that very darkness”.