Tony Todd
Artist
Tony Todd studied at the Guildford,
Harrow and St Martin's Schools of Art and has worked for many design
studios and advertising agencies throughout London and the South East
of England. He has produced book covers and illustrations for many
of the leading book publishers and has had several hundred Christmas
cards, everyday cards and calendars published by the 'Greetings Industry'.
His paintings appear in many private collections worldwide including
that of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and H.R.H. Prince Philip.
Statement
The play 'Under Milk
Wood' by Dylan Thomas technicoloured my mind when I was first introduced
to it at Secondary Modern School. Later when we performed it as young
students at Guildford Art School I realised I wanted to paint and
draw the colourful characters and fantasies that weave in and out
of this amazing play.
Dylan's masterpiece is really an artist's dream to paint, it covers
every emotion, desire, and passion switching from love to hate in
vivid dreamlike waves.
I had only completed the first of twelve paintings when Claire and
David, proprietors of the Red Biddy Gallery, commissioned the whole
collection. It was a two year project until David suddenly said "what
a lovely idea it would be to open the exhibition on the next St. David's
Day". So now twelve paintings had to be completed in one very
pressured year. Twelve months on, after visualising almost one hundred
characters, scores of scenes watching a live performance, visiting
Laughargne twice, listening to and watching CD, DVD, and video versions
countless times, reading and re reading the book scores of times the
collection is complete. I have worn out 79 brushes and worked , with
the odd exception, 7 twelve to fourteen hour days a week during this
year. I have tried to capture the vivid colours and characters in
Dylan's mind's eye with paint. From the misty dream-like quality of
age old fantasy to the vivid lust and passion of the present moment.
The manic humour of the colourful Welsh characters are illustrated
in each painting....and now I am painting six more!
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