Tom Bagshaw Opens Up Pandora

1xRun Thru Interview
Pandora by Tom Bagshaw

1xRUN: Tell us a little bit about the original piece, is it still for sale?
Tom Bagshaw:  The original was painted with Painter ix.5, Artrage and Photoshop, printed on heavy cotton rag stock, embellished with acrylic, mounted, varnished and framed. It is sold.   This piece was created for the Literal Eyes show which ran Nov-Dec 2010. I think I painted it in Sept 2010. This was for a great show, the original sold before the show had even started and this is the first and only time that this print will be available.

1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?    
Tom Bagshaw:  It was created specifically for the Literal Eyes show at London Miles gallery, the show’s theme was to pay homage to historical paintings that had been a personal inspiration. The only stipulation was that it should be a piece created before the WWII. I chose to do Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s ‘Pandora’. I saw the final painting first but it was one of his chalk drawings he produced that I really favoured. I saw this piece in an art history book when I was a child and really helped shape my love of figurative works and introduced me to the works of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Pandora by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

1xRun: How long did the piece take?    
Tom Bagshaw:   Really cant remember, but I’m pretty sure it was about a week.

1xRun: Why should people buy this piece ?    
Tom Bagshaw:  It’s one of my works that gains a lot of interest and there’s been a lot of interest in a print run, hopefully this will make those guys happy!

1xRun: Describe the print in one gut reaction word.     
Tom Bagshaw:  Haunting.

Pandora by Tom Bagshaw

1xRun: When did you first start making art? What was your first piece?
Tom Bagshaw:
My earliest memories are of drawing and painting. I’ve been doing it ever since. My first piece that I ever drew and was a picture of a Peregrine Falcon when I was probably 5 or 6?

1xRun: What artists inspired you early on?   
Tom Bagshaw:
Ive always been inspired by figurative work and was drawn to artists like Ingres, Courbet and the Pre-Raphaelites.

Millais – Christ In The House of His Parents

1xRun: What artists inspire you now?  
Tom Bagshaw:
I’m still inspired by artists whose work is mainly figurative but i also love character driven works, design, typography. There’s so many amazing artists working with different techniques and subjects, it’s hard not to be inspired!

1xRun:  Do you listen to music while you work? If so what? If not then what is your environment like when you work?  
Tom Bagshaw:My workspace is pretty minimal, I work out of a tiny room in our house which is just a little bigger than my desk — but that is an advantage of working digitally, I don’t need much room. Although a large studio would be great and i would probably feel more inclined to pick up a paintbrush again!

1xRun: If you could collaborate with any artist who would it be and why?  
Tom Bagshaw:
Collabs really don’t interest me.. don’t know why- I must be the odd one out on this but its never appealed to me.

1xRun: Why should people buy this piece/print?    
Tom Bagshaw: The latest addition was a fantastic piece called Hibernation by Jason Edmiston– amazing artist and all round nice chap!

Hibernation by Jason Edmiston

1xRun: What else do you have in the works?
Tom Bagshaw: Im currently working on a bunch of group show pieces and some personal works along with a new body of work for a solo show later in 2013.

1xRun:  Where else can people find you across the internette?
Tom Bagshaw: WebsiteFacebook – Twitter – @tombagshaw – Instagram @tombagshaw

-1xRUN