Adelaide born Tom Phillips considers himself a “paint brush warrior”. As a young man, he saw a documentary about Sidney Nolan that first inspired him to pursue art. Later, he became besotted with Francis Bacon at art school and decided to become a figurative painter. The result is a bold and daring style that speaks for itself. He holds nothing back, depicting human struggle with an unflinching rawness. He has been described as the Albert Tucker of our times.
Since graduating from an Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts at the Adelaide Central School of Art in 1997, Phillips has shown his work in both solo and group exhibitions nationwide as well as major prizes. In 2016 he received his third Richard Llewellyn Grant. He continues to live and work in Adelaide.