Artist's Statement:

Pencils, charcoal, pastels, pyrography …

Pencils, however, have become my arm extension. The moment I plug the pencil into my hand socket, the whole body called Tom Zaw turns into a pencil.

When I start my lines and marks, the world around me disappears. It’s like a separate state of consciousness, which I am very fond of. It is not easy to describe what is going on with your body when you are THE body. What I notice is the ability to focus, not so much on what the hand is doing but on what the vision is.

The final effect of my work resembles chaos and order in one. That purely reflects my own personality: surgical precision combined with a humorous and loose approach.

I do human faces, human figures, and architecture by inclination. Maybe because I find them easy or attractive. I am aware of this intrinsic fondness, and I try to avoid or at least challenge my proclivity. Leaving the comfort zone is a necessary part of the creation process and progress. So, new paths are always welcomed.

Exhibitions:

Pastel Society,
Hastings Museum,
Ruth Borchard Prize,
Royal Cambrian Academy of Art,
Royal Society of Marine Artists,
Royal Society of British Artists,
Society of Graphic Fine Art,
UK Coloured Pencil Society and a few others.

My artworks are on collector’s walls in the UK, EU, America and China.

Some of them have won competitions

2023, The winner – Life Drawing Prize by Pastel Society
2023, Award winner – annual open exhibition by UK Colour Pencil Society
2022, The winner – art competition by UK magazine “Talking Point” and American magazine “COLOR”

2020-2024 I ran a small fine art gallery in Hertfordshire.

Publications:

2025 “Chaos and Order with Tom Zaw” Interview by FIDA Fashion Drawing and Illustration

Society Memberships:

The Pastel Society
The Society of Graphic Fine Art