RELIEF PAINTINGS

During the period 1978 to 1985 Tom Plowman made a series of relief paintings. He was in the habit of making drawings that explored the forms of the ceramics as a page from a 1960 sketchbook shows.

As stated in the catalogue of the 1981 Sothebys sponsored exhibition in the Norwich Castle Museum.

At that time he took the view that working in another medium offered a welcome respite from the discipline of working with a material that required the extended and complicated processes of ceramics, first a malleable material made permanent by drying and then two or more firings.


"Recently he has begun, once more, to take some of his work away from traditional forms and explore the interaction between two and three dimensional statements based on a single concept."

This has led him to develop the drawings he has always made, into relief paintings and prints in addition to his stoneware and porcelain.

LIGHT AND SHADE

During the period when the relief paintings were being made, Tom was also active in the dark room.

Using elements from the relief paintings, before they were put togethere, he experimented with making black and white photoghraphic images and photograms.