Meet The Artist - Tom from Drum&Ink
Meet Tom from Drum&Ink! Tom’s business name combines his two passions, playing drums and printmaking!
- Where did the name Drum & Ink come from?
The name drum&ink came about because I was teaching drums and creating artwork for sale, predominantly lino prints, and it made sense to combine all my creative work under one banner; less time on admin work means more time available for creative work and more time to get to know people.
- What do you like about printmaking?
I love the process of developing an imagined image or idea into a sketch then to the carving process to create a relief block for printing. You never really know how the final piece will look until the last layer of ink is added and you lift the paper! The process teaches lessons in patience and accepting the outcomes of something even though it isn't quite how you imagined it.
- Tell us more about your community drumming projects?
I am presently developing my ideas on how to combine my love of music with promotion of wellbeing. I've run a few different sessions now including some meditative practice which have been very different to the usual drum band sessions. My focus with this work is promoting wellbeing because I feel that we often work from a curative standpoint rather than preventative. I also run Ashford Community Drum Band CIC which is an accessible band for everyone regardless of experience, goals or social situation.
- What do you do when you’re not drumming or printing?
I work full time as a community mental health nurse prescriber so much of my time is spent in the community in Ashford working within the NHS. Otherwise, along with the love of my life and our kids, I tend to be growing plants, bumbling around the woods, swimming in rivers and the sea whilst learning about birds, butterflies and trees.
- What can we expect from your Adventure Maps Workshop?
We'll be exploring places from our imagination or thinking about our favourite spots and then making maps to guide us to these special places. I love using a map to find somewhere, it makes me wonder who else has been there before and who will visit afterwards, I like to think about what their personal stories might be.
To book Tom's Adventure maps printmaking workshop on Wednesday 31st May click here