Thomas at The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023

Biography


Thomas Perceval is an Artist based on the border of Mid Wales & Herefordshire, where he was born and grew up.

Part of an Australian artistic dynasty, Thomas is the Great Nephew of Arthur Boyd, Grandson of renowned painter, John Perceval and Step Grandson of Sir Sidney Nolan, one of Australias leading artists. Surrounded by creativity from birth, a large part of his childhood was spent drawing, painting and playing music.

He studied National Diploma in Graphic Design at Hereford College of Arts, followed by a Foundation in Art & Design. He then studied BA Drawing at Camberwell College of Arts in London. After exploring a myriad of processes and techniques, he returned to the countryside.

Inspired by the surrounding landscape, he re-engaged with the beauty and awe of the natural world. He now captures the energy and character of Trees in winter, by innovatively merging drawing techniques with laser burning technology.

Tree Artwork Process

Thomas explores the countryside extensively, to find the right tree in terms of aesthetics, form and feeling. Each tree is very specifically chosen and has a special meaning. The trees are solitary, in winter, enabling full scope of the branch system.

The tree is photographed from a preferred angle in appropriate lighting. Sometimes sketches are done on site, but the main drawings are done back in the studio from the photograph and typically take hundreds of hours.

The drawings are meticulously intricate, expressing the complexity and serenity found in the shape and form of each individual tree.

Only one drawing is usually produced each year; there will be a limited number of these tree artworks in existence. Once the drawing is complete, each laser etched edition is created individually from the source drawing, over an extensive period of time. Each hand drawn line is effectively ‘re-drawn’ by the laser.

Through subject, material and technique (wood & fire), Thomas’s work invites us to perceive the elemental, temporal and eternal.

Finished Piece


The background wood is sanded down to a very smooth finish. Thousands of individual lines are burnt in one by one, layered up, to create the overall image.

The entire artwork is created with one thickness of burnt line; darker areas are more lines, lighter areas less lines. No inks or dyes are used, all colouring a result of the burning process.

All artworks are made with FSC certified Birch or Oak/Ash veneer and the frames are made from FSC Lime and Ash.

The artworks are Limited Edition, signed & numbered on the back. The individual wood grain pattern of the background and the nature of the burning process means each edition is always subtly unique. 

Thomas’s work is sold internationally and has been exhibited widely across the UK, including at The Royal West of England Academy Bristol, The RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Olympia London.

Thomas in his first studio at The Rodd, Sidney & Mary Nolan’s last home